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le_lobey's reviews
341 reviews
Hogg by Samuel R. Delany
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Content Warnings
challenging
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
There's no getting around how deeply upsetting Hogg can be; it's transgressive porno-horror. Turned my stomach on many occasions and I mostly had to take it one chapter at a time.
As unflinchingly graphic as Delany is with the many appetites of his characters, the relationships he crafts between them and their world are fascinating. Towards the end when the boy escapes the orbit of Hogg's crew it's unsettling to reflect on what kinds of violence merit police mobilization. Why are we so much more comfortable with graphic depictions of certain kinds of violence? How and why does the media and or censor its portrayals of reality, and what is distorted in this reflection? How different is this world from our own? There's so much more here about the overlap of pain, pleasure, morality, crime, and otherness.
It's insane that Delany was able to make this book as good as it is. Also as funny? Really not what you'd expect, but it's true. And the occasional moments of beauty were all the more heart crushing when held against the sensual treatment of the rest of the book. His skill is undeniable.
As unflinchingly graphic as Delany is with the many appetites of his characters, the relationships he crafts between them and their world are fascinating. Towards the end when the boy escapes the orbit of Hogg's crew it's unsettling to reflect on what kinds of violence merit police mobilization. Why are we so much more comfortable with graphic depictions of certain kinds of violence? How and why does the media and or censor its portrayals of reality, and what is distorted in this reflection? How different is this world from our own? There's so much more here about the overlap of pain, pleasure, morality, crime, and otherness.
It's insane that Delany was able to make this book as good as it is. Also as funny? Really not what you'd expect, but it's true. And the occasional moments of beauty were all the more heart crushing when held against the sensual treatment of the rest of the book. His skill is undeniable.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Excrement, and Injury/Injury detail
The White Book by Han Kang
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Blue in Green by Anand R.K., Ram V
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Phyla of Joy by Karen An-hwei Lee
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by Jeff Chang
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Incredible, but honestly no idea what to do with this one. Intrigued to talk about it with the group, might read again before we meet.
The Trees: Selected Poems 1967-2004 by Eugenio Montejo
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Orientation/disorientation in time. Music, ghosts, oxen, roosters. Community, ecology and ancestry.
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
emotional
informative
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
3.75
The Passion According to G. H. by Clarice Lispector
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0