alfredojose's reviews
17 reviews

Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima

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challenging inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.5

Mishima is the reason I workout. His writing is like a sweet treat -- but for my brain.

In the Absence of Men by Philippe Besson

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

Besson beautifully encapsulates the visceral impact of generational shame, love, and the interplay between the two in a way that still (among stories of war, loss, and grief) feels relatable to the gay experience today. I mostly enjoyed Besson's ability to seamlessly sway between generational perspectives of Vincent, Marcel, and Arthur.

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

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dark mysterious reflective relaxing 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? It's complicated

3.75

found many people disagreeing with the fact that Opera magazine named this title relatable to ‘CMBYN, but in Poland’. whole-heartedly agree with these critiques given that such a claim could not be more reductive and misleading to the nature of Janusz and Ludwick’s relationship and Jedrowski’s debut craftsmanship.

The political atmosphere Jedrowski constructs to contextualize sexual and creative oppression in communist Poland contrasted with homage to Baldwin’s western capitalist critiques of sexual repression and toxic masculinity provides a secular image of the gay experience that urges radical accountability from all bodies of oppression.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

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dark lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing tense medium-paced