Scott Graham
Added to listOwnedwith 72 books.
I assume this novel was a roman à clef, written in prose, hitting you like poetry and fine art. Lyrical and visual, it's difficult to navigate because your eyes and your mind often fail to work in concert.
Your eyes, familiar with the mechanics of reading keep moving forward in the text while your mind wanders through the painting that Ocean Vuong has created with his words, so I found myself rereading passages quite often; my comprehension was still back at buffaloes careening off a cliff while my eyes had just finished a passage about monarch butterflies. The fault is mine and not the author's. I enjoyed it immensely, found the characters of Little Dog, Rose, Lan, and Trevor compelling, each in their own way, sometimes comical, occasionally infuriating, and in a few cases sadly tragic. I will reread it again, and be better prepared to go at the lazy, indulgent pace that the novel cries out for and deserves.
I assume this novel was a roman à clef, written in prose, hitting you like poetry and fine art. Lyrical and visual, it's difficult to navigate because your eyes and your mind often fail to work in concert.
Your eyes, familiar with the mechanics of reading keep moving forward in the text while your mind wanders through the painting that Ocean Vuong has created with his words, so I found myself rereading passages quite often; my comprehension was still back at buffaloes careening off a cliff while my eyes had just finished a passage about monarch butterflies. The fault is mine and not the author's. I enjoyed it immensely, found the characters of Little Dog, Rose, Lan, and Trevor compelling, each in their own way, sometimes comical, occasionally infuriating, and in a few cases sadly tragic. I will reread it again, and be better prepared to go at the lazy, indulgent pace that the novel cries out for and deserves.
Told in two parts essentially, part one is a thought provoking exploration of author Sebastian Junger's close call with death, and either a unique glimpse into the afterlife, or the imaginings of his dying brain.
The second part describes Mr Junger's pursuit to understand what happened, what it might mean for each of us to be alive and then to not be alive, and how the universe accounts for it all. Spoiler: nothing is decided, but many interesting facts are explained that may impact that meaning. Food for thought.
Told in two parts essentially, part one is a thought provoking exploration of author Sebastian Junger's close call with death, and either a unique glimpse into the afterlife, or the imaginings of his dying brain.
The second part describes Mr Junger's pursuit to understand what happened, what it might mean for each of us to be alive and then to not be alive, and how the universe accounts for it all. Spoiler: nothing is decided, but many interesting facts are explained that may impact that meaning. Food for thought.
Added to listOwnedwith 70 books.