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flashandoutbreak's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Confinement, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
veelaughtland's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Medical content, and Vomit
Minor: Infertility
froggybooks's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
UGH THIS BOOK <333
it was such a weird little book. cultish, late stage capitalism (a cult in itself), unlovable/unreliable/unstable MC. incredible.
mainly vibes over plot but still it was an amazing little book.
it was such a weird little book. cultish, late stage capitalism (a cult in itself), unlovable/unreliable/unstable MC. incredible.
mainly vibes over plot but still it was an amazing little book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Self harm, Violence, Classism, Medical content, Misogyny, Vomit, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infertility and Pregnancy
Minor: Abandonment
ecn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I have absolutely no idea what to say about this book other than it feels like a fever dream??? I cannot tell you a single thing that happened or what it meant.
I can’t say it was as hard of a “merciless takedown of late capitalism and our anxious, ill-fated quests for something to believe in” as the synopsis made it seem it would be but it definitely speaks to late capitalism. So much of the book felt like a blurred vision of our capitalist while dissociating through life. However, I do not know what to feel about the book. I wanted so much more out of it than I got. I wanted to know more about everyone and wanted a more grounded story. I genuinely cannot tell what happened this story and if anything was real or a grotesque and exaggerated imagination of the MC.
It’s not for everyone but definitely for you if you want something loosely glossy and reads like a fever dream you have while working at your shit job.
All I can say for sure is I don’t know.
I can’t say it was as hard of a “merciless takedown of late capitalism and our anxious, ill-fated quests for something to believe in” as the synopsis made it seem it would be but it definitely speaks to late capitalism. So much of the book felt like a blurred vision of our capitalist while dissociating through life. However, I do not know what to feel about the book. I wanted so much more out of it than I got. I wanted to know more about everyone and wanted a more grounded story. I genuinely cannot tell what happened this story and if anything was real or a grotesque and exaggerated imagination of the MC.
It’s not for everyone but definitely for you if you want something loosely glossy and reads like a fever dream you have while working at your shit job.
All I can say for sure is I don’t know.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Addiction, Grief, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility
breekeeler's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There was so much potential here, but for me it just didn’t quite come together. To be fair, I adored Supper Club so much that my expectations were incredibly high, so that my be playing into it.
There were parts of this I really loved, especially the second half of the novel when things started to get really unsettling.
For me the characters were never fully developed enough for me to really engage with them though, and I found that the Land portions actually undercut the eeriness of the Sea portions for me and in doing so really made this an ineffectual commentary on capitalism even through that’s why it was pitched as.
So overall enjoyable, just didn’t live up to my personal expectations or the expectations set by the book’s marketing materials.
There were parts of this I really loved, especially the second half of the novel when things started to get really unsettling.
For me the characters were never fully developed enough for me to really engage with them though, and I found that the Land portions actually undercut the eeriness of the Sea portions for me and in doing so really made this an ineffectual commentary on capitalism even through that’s why it was pitched as.
So overall enjoyable, just didn’t live up to my personal expectations or the expectations set by the book’s marketing materials.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Alcoholism
Moderate: Medical content and Infertility
ashlyntalksbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Alcoholism, Body horror, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Gore
nerdyprettythings's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book. It's so weird, but in a really great way. If you're a fan of books like The Vegetarian by Han Kang or the film Synecdoche, New York (or most Charlie Kaufman movies), you would absolutely love this book too, The main character, Ingrid, has lost her identity and come unhinged. She replaced having a home life or personality with becoming one of the functioning parts of a high end cruise ship. Her boss tells her he sees something in her, and she feels more and more connected to the boat as she gets a combination of mundane and much more involved tasks. A takedown of consumer capitalism, reflecting on finding all your worth in meaningless jobs, looking for belonging, and it was darkly funny, The whole time I wasn't expecting the next turn, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Alcoholism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Body horror
purplemuskogee's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a completely bizarre little novel! I found it better than 'Supper Club', less repetitive and predictible. We follow Ingrid, who works on the WA, a cruise ship, and has just been selected to participate in its bizarre mentoring programme, where she learns from Keith, obsessed by wabi sabi and who subjects her and other workers to strange (and sadistic) rituals. Ingrid navigates her friendships, her time on and off the ship, thinks about her husband, drinks. It is a very disturbing and strange novel and I loved it, it reminded me of several other novels I liked recently - notably 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation' and 'Convenience Store Woman'.
Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
kateflood's review
4.5
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was eerie and uncomfortable and dream-like and I think I loved it. We follow the unreliable narration of Ingrid, who has been aboard the WA cruise ship for 5 years, through the mundanities and horrors of her life on board, and the impacts of the mysterious new program she undertakes led by the ship’s captain. I thought this was a great critique of modern capitalism and it left me feeling nihilistic but not necessarily in a bad way. A lot of the questions this book leaves you with remain unanswered at the end which I can definitely imagine some people would find frustrating, but personally I didn’t mind this as it seemed quite fitting for such a surreal story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Vomit
Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility
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