A review by angel_kiiss
In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? No

2.75

It's a very romantic story about the apocalypse, even if the actual romance is not.

Let's not start with dishonesty, I read this because Harry Styles recommended it, and that is the only reason. And, to continue with this streak of honesty, between this and being a fan of Charles Bukowski, we might have some red flags. I don't really know how to put it into words, but something about the protagonist sets off alarm bells for me. He feels like a creep. Or an incel. But like - I couldn't give you an example as to why. It's just a feeling, like, you know when you know (who the fuck to avoid). It all started when it makes clear that he is having a relationship with a girl significantly younger than him (him being 29) and her exact age is never clarified. Honestly, I couldn't even enjoy the book because of the weird vibes I got from the protagonist. It is actually a deep and compelling story with a world I am dying to learn more about but I couldn't get past trying to figure out the main character's motivations. 

It's got me, like, why do they only grow watermelons? What happened to the world? What is iDeath? What were the tigers supposed to symbolize? But all I could think about was how old that girl was.

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