Reviews

Incest by Christine Angot, Tess Lewis

haunted_klaus's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Incest, and Homophobia

vincentkonrad's review against another edition

4.0

Hectic and difficult to find a place to stop like someone just telling you everything and u are interested but u really need to pee but they just don't leave any chances for u to say so and even when u do they're like "oh yeah just one more thing"

novelology's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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? Yes

3.0

timefighter's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

i have no idea how i feel about this book

ken_bookhermit's review against another edition

2.0

I may be misunderstanding the narrator's purpose of self defense but her attitude towards her gay panic is too contrived and the stream of consciousness is too disjointed that it does not feel like a stream. More like a choppy waterfall which has merits, but not for my overall mood while reading this.

beepbeepbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Christine Angot knocks the wind out of you. It's disorienting and intoxicating. Not since Thomas Bernhard have I been so repulsed and focused at the same time

lmrising's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

hspaulds's review against another edition

3.0

(I received a free copy from Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review.)

I picked this up because the description reminded me of The Kiss by Kathryn Harrison, another fairly quick read of a memoir which I found both fascinating and disturbing. This book ultimately wasn't as much like The Kiss as I expected, but it was still worth reading. It's a dark, confusing read, but the moments where it's clear are interesting and thought provoking enough to make up for being confused a lot.

brainyheroine's review against another edition

5.0

This novel is truly one story in many parts, and is not for the faint of heart. While the subject matter is seemingly taboo, it is more than that. Throughout the pages you read about a myriad of sexual trysts, conquests, fetishes, all told as recollections; a given fact that what you're reading is purely what the writer wants you to know. I feel that power is left with Angot, when in most narratives it would be taken away. This is not your typical Beginning, Middle, End, sort of story, rather you're brought into a life and world, and only given an explanation to any of it much later than you'd anticipate. However I did find myself constantly questioning the authenticity of Angot's recollections. The writing draws you in so closely, so deliberately, that only after you finish do you ask if any of it was real. The very nature of Angot's book is controversial, and in so many parts unbelievable, the voice it gives though, the stories it tells, are so much more than what they are, and even what they aren't. This is one book I had to continually leave and come back too; trying to read more than a chapter or two, a few dozen pages at a time, often yielded so much to consume and take in that I simply had to stop. Being overwhelmed isn't something I always like in books. Written to feel like a diary, or just someone telling you all the kinky stuff they've done is unnerving. You'll feel buzzed after you read this, you'll feel your skin tingling and crawling. This is not a modern Lolita, this is entirely something else.

rosa44's review

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No

4.0

Novela de autoficción  dividida en tres partes, la última parte explica el título y permite comprender mejor las dos primeras partes. La primera parte, particularmente, presenta un estilo breve y fragmentario a través del recurso del fluir de la conciencia de la narradora protagonista. La última parte  también apela a la brevedad pero es más concisa. La protagonista se confiesa, revela sus secretos a modo de descarga que la libera y analiza momentos de su vida desde un punto de vista psicológico. 

Por los temas que aborda y el estilo, esta es una novela un poco compleja y no tan accesible para el lector común; creo que a eso se debe que muchos lectores no les agradó este libro. A mí me gustó el tratamiento del tema y  no pude evitar relacionar a Angot con Anais Nin.