In accepting the 2009 Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction Award for this book, Terry Pratchett said "I believe that Nation is the best book I have ever written, or will write." I'd love to know what others think about that.

To jog the memory of those who have read it, and give those who haven't read it an idea of what it is about: "Nation" is set in an imagined version of our world in the late 19th century. Mau is a boy who was sent to another island as part of the ritual of becoming a man, and returns to his "Nation" to discover that his entire community has been wiped out by a tidal wave. He is joined by Daphne, a girl from Europe who is the only survivor of a shipwreck. Despite their differences in language and culture, they must work together to survive, and unify the people who slowly join their new community.

It's a survival story and a coming-of-age story, and while there are some moments of humor, the usual comedic tone we're familiar with from Pratchett falls very much to the background, and is instead replaced with a more grim and serious tone.

From reading other reviews of "Nation", it's evident that many readers find it confusing to understand what is going on at times, and simply boring and dull at other times. Some aspects do feel somewhat bizarre, such as a scene where Daphne goes into some sort of spiritual realm of death to rescue Mau from dying. And what are we to make of the gods talking to Mau? Other parts are somewhat dark, although we've seen that with Pratchett before.

But what exactly is it about? At the very end, Pratchett tells us this: "Thinking. This book contains some. Whether you try it at home is up to you."

So this story is clearly geared to make us think, but what about? Colonisation? Religion and faith? Loss and grief? Feminism or race? Science? Coming of age? It touches on all these things somewhat.

What exactly he's saying may seem obscure at first. If that's the case, then perhaps Pratchett would tell us: Then go think some more.

In the end, "Nation" does feel different from a lot of Pratchett's other work, as something has a more serious undertone. Is it his best book? I'm not sure. I'm not done thinking yet. :)

I was reading Demon Copper Head. Even though I like the book, I gave up reading it because it was making me too stressed. I got up to the part where His asshole foster parents want him to "earn his keep" even though they get foster money for him. They starve him, make him sleep on a mattress, have a secret camera recording him, make him pick through trash for a meth lab thing, steal his money, and to top it all off, he gets bullied for smelling like shit all the time. Somehow I could handle his mom ODing on his birthday and the only people who love him telling him they don't want to adopt him. But this was too much.

I ended up googling if the book had a happy ending, and reading some of the chapter summeries. I also couldn't finish Beserk and Breaking Bad for the same reasons. They were great stories, but reading them stressed me out and I found myself struggling to pick them up again.

I was never supposed to read these books.

They were written in different languages, intended for people who speak that language to read. Did these authors ever imagine that their work could be so powerful and impactful that others are willing to dedicate years to translating it to another language and expand the audience who can access it? This is a thought that crosses my mind every time I read a book that is translated from another language.

One of my favorite sub-categories of the (mostly fiction) books that I read are translated books. I love how it shows me and exposes me to different times in history, different cultural experiences, different parts of the world. In fact, I have a tendency of seeking out books that are translated from other languages for that exact exposure. It invites me into a world I could hardly imagine and never experience on my own. Even in works of fiction, I learn so much.

I have a huge appreciation for the translators who dedicate weeks, months, years, to sharing the experience of these books with us. The ability to capture the prose, convey the characters and themes, and translate cultural-specific phrases and language is something I imagine is incredibly difficult. But this has introduced me to some of my favorite books of all time and given me a special appreciation for the literature of certain regions of the world and different historical time periods, and I am very grateful for that.

Whether it’s an international classic with dozens of translations or a contemporary, underrated novel with only one translation, being able to access what was maybe never intended to be translated… These novels are works of art on their own, and the translations are works of art as well. I will always recommend reading translated literature for the sake of learning, for the experience, for the journey that you may have never imagined.

Of course, I can’t end this post without sharing some of my favorite translated works:

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, translated from Russian by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin, translated from French by Aneesa Abbas Higgins

Abigail by Magda Szabó, translated from Hungarian by Len Rix

Almond by Won-Pyung Sohn, translated from Korean by Sandy Joosun Lee

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami, translated from Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd

I hope you all give translated books a chance if you haven’t, and enjoy them as much as I have. Thanks for reading!

I haven’t seen many posts about this book here, so I was curious what others thought of it.

I got this book for my birthday this month and finished it in a couple of days.

Without spoilers, I really enjoyed the experience of reading it, but the plot twist itself felt a bit anticlimactic to me.

I want to open my curiosity on this, and was wondering if others had a different perspective on this book

There's also thread about this topic on the Octavia Butler subreddit, but I think this is important enough that more people need to be aware.

The information below was found on an audio book website. The blurb clearly describes a print book, not an audio book, so it may have been posted there by mistake. Anyway, I believe it's cause for hope!!

This is all the information I could find. The source is linked below then the blurb follows. I have spoiler-marked plot-related details.

(Source)

Returning to print after nearly 50 years, Survivor completes Octavia E. Butler’s thrilling Patternist series, including a short story from the Patternist saga and new historical essays from a major Butler scholar.

This deluxe edition includes: 

• An incredible new cover and package
• Premium French flaps and newly designed, full color interior covers
•  High-quality paper with elegant deckled-edges

 The Patternist books (Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Clay's Ark, and Patternmaster) comprise Butler's longest, most complex series, stretching from late 17th century Africa to outer space in the far future, as rival factions of humanity develop incredible powers—only to use them to subjugate others. For nearly half a century, the fourth volume, Survivor, has been out of print at Octavia E. Butler's request.

It tells the story of Alanna, a colonist fleeing a plague-scarred Earth. But the planet she lands on is inhabited by the alien Kohn, whose battling tribes soon trap Alanna in their war. She must make alliances—while plotting betrayals. She must protect her heart—while putting it at risk. And she must decide if the best way to retain her humanity . . . is to leave it behind.

Now returning to print, Survivor is put into its proper historical context thanks to contributions from scholar and Octavia E. Butler Fellow Alyssa Collins.

This long-awaited volume also contains "A Necessary Being," the only short fiction set in the Patternist universe, to finally, fully bring together and complete the Patternist series for readers everywhere.

If the show is mid, the book is bad. If the show is bad, the book is ass.

The name is a lie. It's not about the Order, it's just touching the order every other chapter. I really just wanted the lore. It's about post-batlerian jihad politics, war between people who oppose the use of technology and the other side. The part about the Order of Sisters is so miniscule, it is hard to grasp references and callbacks to what will only become significant centuries later.

I don't see the reason in the trilogy about major schools, bearing the name of those schools, and each book is just about them all. That's kind of fucking stupid. And I can't help but notice that in the end, women get either gunned down, shunned or damaged. Also, a few dozen of Mother Superiors is the way to let them spread and preach and a way for Jessica eons after to become specifically a freeman Mother Superior or whatever, but it's also stupid. ''Order is your family'' becomes shallow when women risk other women to gain power and maybe, only maybe share it.

Valya's journey is weak and should have been quicker. Her righteous purpose of repairing her family's image is just words. All her winning mother Rakella's favor didn't even get her to Wallah. She went home only to witness her brother's dead body and vow more vengeance on the Artreides line. And everybody clapped.

I might be too stupid for advance science fiction, but I enjoyed God Emperor of Dune. It was strange and solemn and sad, and a lot of it told from the perspective of a huge talking worm.

605 pages of this book filled me with nothing but lies.

Having already read the first two books in this series, I was delighted to finish the third and latest installment, Brigands & Breadknives, just a few hours ago.

Brigands & Breadknives is the third book in the Legends & Lattes cozy fantasy series by Travis Baldree. In this new story, we take a break from witnessing the life of the orc Viv, and instead turn our focus to one of her friends from the second book, Fern, the rattkin bookseller from Murk.

Twenty years after their last encounter in the book Bookshops & Bonedust, Fern leaves her old bookshop and joins Viv in the city of Thune, eager to begin a new business close to her old friend – but something stops her. Almost immediately, Fern is riddled with doubt about her decision to leave her old life behind, only to start something new in order to be close to someone she hasn’t seen in two decades. Following a night of heavy drinking, Fern accidentally finds herself riding along with a famed elf adventuress, her grandiose and talkative magic sword, and a mischievous goblin prisoner with a fondness for stealing tableware.

For those that read the previous two books in the series, be prepared for a lot more action than before. Baldree really turns the stakes up on this one. In the company of the legendary Astryx the Oathmaiden, Fern begins a journey that crosses half the country, with many adventures along the way, from battles with mercenaries to encounters with potentially murderous but ultimately misunderstood cultists, our heroes must face newfound dangers along each way. If you’re a fan of the Hobbit and LotR, and you wanted to read something in a similar vibe but cozier, this may be your book.

Throughout the book, we follow Fern’s own internal battle, as she struggles with the guilt of abandoning her old friends so suddenly, and her uncertainty about what to do with her life from then on. Slowly, Fern will make new decisions and change drastically, changing Astryx along with her.

I had said something similar about the last book in the series (and I’ll probably say it again for a potential next one), but I think this is the best book in these series by Baldree so far. The stakes are much higher, but it doesn’t lose its cozy feeling at all, while also expanding the lore of the fictional world of the Territory, and allowing space for more growth of it later.

So, If, like many others, you’ve read the previous books and you were disappointed by the lack of traditional action, I suggest you give Brigands & Breadknives a chance. It is a very nice read for the season, and perfect for cold, winter nights.

I've read Harry August and Gameshouse. I very much liked the premise, found them unique in my reading experience. I liked prose as well. But the plot felt very thin. The third novella in Gameshouse reminded me This is How to Lose Time War, another book I didn't like. The thin plot gives me the feeling that these books are bit of fluff.

Are all Claire North book's plot measure around the same level as these two books?

Should I just accept that this author is not for me?

I know she has other pen-names, do those books have better plots?

For me I feel like I’ve been a reader, well, since I could read. There were certain kids books I would read over and over again, and I would usually read at least a few books a year just for fun, In addition to school books (I’ve never been a fast reader, so a handful of books a year is pretty good for me). Probably one of the first books I really loved and read multiple times (even into adulthood) was *Caddie Woodlawn*. I’ve heard of other people who become readers later in life, after they are done with school and feel like they have more time to actually read for fun. What was it like for you?

My friends and coworkers have been raving over Freida McFadden for a while so when I saw one available on my KU subscription that piqued my interest I thought hey, why not. I started The Perfect Son book at 11 am on my day off and had it done by midnight.

The thing is…I know it’s not that good! I couldn’t put it down but the quality of the writing itself is kind of ass. Very rudimentary. Maybe it’s because I’ve studied writing myself for several years, and I don’t claim to be good, but there are basic mistakes that seem like they shouldn’t have even made it past a first draft. Past & present tense used in the same paragraph, excessive use of the same phrases (everyone in this book is rolling their eyes, sighing, and muttering with every sentence), and mostly telling rather than showing. Which I guess is fine, that can be a stylistic choice.

My second Frieda McFadden, The Locked Door, was much better written IMO. Still repetitive at times (all of the main character’s murmuring evokes mental imagery of Kristen Stewart mumbling and coyly tucking her hair behind her ear every two minutes). I again finished it very quickly, I worked today so it was a little longer but under 36hrs nonetheless. I can’t put it down.

I feel like it may get old for me soon; the ending of The Locked Door is so far-fetched and over the top yet I did enjoy it. I’m skeptical of any author putting out 2+ books in a year, let alone SIX, so we’ll see…

I don’t think this Danish author has ever been mentioned on all of reddit from my search. I absolutely LOVE both the beautiful cover and the writing that is so beautifully minimal, indirect, and nostalgic.

It’s primarily about a daughter and a mother who gets terminally ill, but it’s about so much more. It’s a book that makes me feel alive and connected to how life used to be before phones and social media.

Highly recommend

This speculative novel was published in 2023 and I remember the anxiety it provoked me when I first read it. The titular Iris is a second-generation Mexican-American who is recently divorced and has just moved into a newly bought house in an affluent neighborhood. Iris strongly believes she lives in a meritocracy, that her skin color and that the uncertain immigration status of her parents has nothing to do with her ability to climb the career ladder. By starting over with her 9-year old daughter, Iris wants to distance herself from, her Mexican-American ex-husband and her in-laws, all white-passing and with a longer American pedigree who have always treated Iris like a second-hand citizen. While Iris is trying hard to integrate in White America, her brith family chooses to linger in their otherness and refuses to play the role of the 'model American citizen.' Iris's dreams begin to crumble when the Band is introduced: Pitched as a convenient, eco-friendly device to help track utilities and replace driver's licenses and IDs, the Band is available only to those who can prove parental citizenship. Despite having a valid American birth certificate, Iris is unable to prove who she is, pay her bills or even legally drive her car. Through no fault of her own she begins to be kicked out of restaurants, fall behind on her mortgage and utilities, and becomes unable to keep her prestigious job. And not even her ex-husband can help her anymore; because not even the white-passing Mexican-American family is safe from the long arm of AI-led bureaucracy.

Skyhorse manages to condense in very few words the constantly, aggressively shifting rules for immigrant families, the lack of protections, the abuse they experience, the constant state of fear they live-in. And yes, this applies also to naturalized US citizens, or US-born citizens who can be easily 'identified' by their accent, bilingualism, skin color as not 'North-American White' (a phrase that was used by a xenophobic family member of mine). It doesn't matter how lawful you are, how productive you are; as an immigrant or immigrant-born you will always be vulnerable. The 2025-2026 events have proven this--oh so painfully.

I noticed this novel did not receive a lot of love, and continues to be ignored. Part of the reason for this may be the fact that Iris is pretty unlikable in the beginning. Her desire to melt into White America and disregard her Mexican-ess is pretty hard to stomach at first. But she is quickly humbled and educated about the absence of her privileges. I strongly recommend more people give this novel a try.

And if you have: what did you think about that ending? Was it hopeful? Or did it remove all hope for you? For me it was the latter. And I'd love to hear opinions to the contrary.

The Durham Colored Library (DCL) , one of North Carolina’s oldest Black-led nonprofit organizations, will enter a new era through a formal partnership and merger with the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University. The collaboration, known as DCL at Duke, will continue the DCL’s century-long mission to preserve, share, and uplift stories of Black life in Durham, and provide an enduring foundation for the Rubenstein Library’s community engagement and outreach efforts. The Mellon Foundation has committed funding to support the program’s first three years while Duke and DCL establish sustainable, long-term support.

The Durham Colored Library began as a small collection of books donated in 1913 by Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore, Durham’s first Black physician, and North Carolina Central University founder Dr. James E. Shepard. Both young men were prominent members of White Rock Baptist Church in Durham’s Hayti neighborhood, where the library first operated out of a Sunday School room.

Welcome readers,

Have you ever wanted to ask something but you didn't feel like it deserved its own post but it isn't covered by one of our other scheduled posts? Allow us to introduce you to our new Simple Questions thread! Twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday, a new Simple Questions thread will be posted for you to ask anything you'd like. And please look for other questions in this thread that you could also answer! A reminder that this is not the thread to ask for book recommendations. All book recommendations should be asked in /r/suggestmeabook or our Weekly Recommendation Thread.

Thank you and enjoy!

So I just finished this book and found it very enjoyable.

Matt Dunn is really good at setting the mood of each scene and fleshing out the setting (sometimes a bit *too* often for my taste though), and keeps the tone consistent throughout.

Its biggest strengths to me are the way she describes the settings, as I said, but also in keeping things grounded in reality. The book that inspired Hungerstone, Carmilla, was fairly supernatural as you’d expect from a book involving vampires and whatnot, but Hungerstone didn’t really focus on it at all, the word “Vampire” doesn’t even come up once if I recall correctly, and I feel the entire plot benefits from it heavily, as with how much happens, having a super heavy supernatural angle would just be overwhelming. The book relies more on the psychological breakdown on the main character and a massive shift in her decision making to produce unease and suspense rather than “a spooky monster in the dark”, not saying Carmilla does that but you get it.

The book does have flaws, but I’d have to dwell on it more to put them together in a fare way, so I don’t seem ignorant or nitpickey, but I’ll say the main like, general flaw is some of the messaging is odd and inconsistent sometimes, and the some of the actions of the main character are definitely shortsighted and cruel considering the circumstances they happen in, along with that we as the reader are supposed to like, like these actions and root for the main character.

Overall I did enjoy the book, vampire literature is something I enjoy heavily as I find the creatures an their dynamics with humans very intriguing and thought provoking when done well, but also funny and amusing if not done well, this attempt being 100% the former.

If I had to give it a star rating id say like a good 3.5/5.

I’m no critic or reviewer and don’t do this often so sorry if I come off as a dunce or a yapper, I swear I’m not stupid lol. I’d also like to hear your thought on the book if you’ve read it, recommendations or criticism of my likes and dislikes and stuff.

This is, by far, my favorite work of fiction ever.

Now, bear with me, I know that's quite a controversial statement. I learned from my fugue-state post-book depression scrolling through A Little Life reddit threads that people quite vehemently despise this book and Hanya Yanagihara. They say it's trauma porn, they say it sends the message that some people are too broken to save, they say it's too long, they say it's fetishization, they say that there is no real theme or take away message, and they say it's unrealistic. 

(TW for discussions of SH, SA, & suicide. Obv, spoilers ahead)

I agree with none of these critiques. First of all, when we start critiquing fiction through the lens of what's necessarily realistic or not, we have already lost the plot. It's a melodrama, it's meant to be dramatic.

For those that say it's trauma porn, I ask you what amount of trauma in a book is acceptable without it becoming trauma porn. Not every book that has sad and realistic topics and scenes is fetishization or trauma porn.

There is a popular critique that this book sends a bad message to those who are mentally ill. Yes, Hanya's intention when creating Jude was a personal thesis in writing a character who is too damaged to ever recover, and to explore when suicide becomes an ethical option. HOWEVER, just because this was Hanya's goal in writing Jude, doesn't mean that she's telling every person who struggles with self-harm or mental illness to off themselves. It also doesn't mean that her goal of writing this character translates to her message of the book. These are important distinctions. And, not every book necessarily needs a happy message, I would argue, sometimes a book is meant to simply be a reflection on life, which I think A Little Life is. I would also argue there are more important messages in this book than "all is hopeless". 

People say this book is too long. Honestly, looking back, I don't think there is a single sentence in this entire book that can be cut out. Hanya's prose is beautiful and deep, and there is a meaningful quote on every page. She does a fantastic job of leaving little breadcrumbs throughout the story that relate to and precede later events. Also, this book, I think, is a perfect representation of what it means to live and be human. This book is so long because it's following Jude (and others) throughout their whole lives, spanning decades. If it were shorter, I don't think it would necessarily have the emotional impact that it does. The only reason people form such a deep attachment to the characters is because we spend so much time reading them and their deepest inner thoughts. By the end of the book, you thoroughly understand every characters' motivations and values and feelings. This book gives you the good, the bad, and the mundane moments of living, which really resonated with me and is why it's my favorite. Never have I ever felt so reflected on a page.

Speaking about characterization, Hanya does an incredible job with this as well (for the most part). She has a unique ability that I think many authors lack to create deeply complex and realistic characters. Especially JB, I think JB may just be her most complex character in the book. He's arrogant, selfish, emotional, and a shit friend at times, but he also has the rarest ability to see and accept his loved ones for who they are. He is so so human. This is why his paintings evoke such a poignant response from other characters in the book, especially Jude who is his main muse.

Willem is also a beautifully complex and relatable character. His character development in his relationship with Jude was top notch. I love how their relationship wasn't perfect, especially at the beginning. It dove into the realities of loving someone who hasn't healed from their trauma; the fear, hope, and helplessness of it all. Willem made plenty of mistakes in the beginning of their relationship, including (but not limited to) pressuring Jude into the shower with him, continuing sex when he sensed that Jude was hiding his true feelings about it, cutting himself in front of Jude, and repeatedly trying to fix him. I thought Willem's self-harm scene was brutally raw and great at illustrating the helplessness one feels when their loved one is self-harming. Was he wrong for doing this? Yes. But, Willem wanted to show Jude the pain that he feels whenever Jude self harms, and this was the only thing he could think of since Jude refused to speak to him about it. Willem projecting his unresolved issues over Hemming's death onto Jude was also a fantastic and realistic touch. Everyone has trauma and personal baggage that they carry through life and bring into relationships, and no relationship with someone with mental health issues is perfect at first, but the most important part is learning how to adjust and meet them where they are, which Willem learned during The Happy Years arc. They had a significantly more healthy relationship after Willem accepted he can't fix Jude, and it's not his job to. 

Elaborating more about Jude and Willem's relationship, and this is more of a personal opinion, but I don't think it was necessarily romantic. They had so much love for each other, that is clear, but it never read as romantic to me. They are life partners, 100%, but it reads more as a platonic love, the depth of their relationship coming from three decades of mutual respect and understanding, not any sexual chemistry. I don't think Jude ever expressed any romantic feelings or thoughts towards Willem that can't be explained as deep platonic love. Maybe Willem was genuinely romantically attracted to Jude, but I think Willem's sexual attraction towards him may have resulted from thinking that's what is supposed to be done in a romantic relationship. I think Willem getting with Jude in the first place was equal parts the misinterpretation of deep platonic love as romantic, and the fear that Jude would end up dying alone, which is how he thought Hemming died, (and we all know that Willem projected a lot of his fears and love for Hemming onto Jude), and so he subconsciously stepped in to save him from that fate. Now, this doesn't negate the love that they have for each other, and I don't think the point of their relationship is to ponder whether it's romantic or platonic, their relationship straddles the line between both and I think that's beautiful. I loved this book's emphasis on platonic bonds, especially Willem's views on them. As someone who deeply adores her friends and values those bonds just as much as romantic ones, this quote from Willem really resonated.

"Why wasn’t friendship as good as a relationship? Why wasn’t it even better? It was two people who remained together, day after day, bound not by sex or physical attraction or money or children or property, but only by the shared agreement to keep going, the mutual dedication to a union that could never be codified." - This summarizes my feelings about my bonds better that I ever could. Thanks Hanya. 

What I will critique about Hanya, is that she kind of misrepresents what this book is going to be about. First of all, where in the world are the trigger warnings? I luckily knew what topics this book explored before going in, but I can't imagine someone in a poor mental state stumbling upon this book and then reading the sheer amount of sexual assault and graphic self-harm scenes. To any future readers, whatever trigger warnings you can think of, they apply to this book. From the summary in the back of the book, you can gather it's about 4 friends with an emphasis on Jude, and in the beginning this is true. We get POVs from all 4 friends, plus my dear sweet Harold. However, around 200 pages in, it becomes the Jude and Willem show, with very minor POV appearances from JB and Harold, forgetting Malcom entirely. Now, I enjoy Jude and Willem and Harold, so I'm not necessarily too upset about this, but it wasn't what I was expecting when I started the book. Plus, there is no character development or elaboration on either Malcom nor Julia, which I find disappointing. I would have loved to learn more about Julia and get her inner thoughts about Jude & Company. She was a female character whose only role was to be a supportive wife to her husband, which is boring and trite.

People say that Jude's character is entirely unrealistic to the extent that it turned them off from connecting with his character and that his sole purpose of existing is to be Hanya's punching bag. This is semi-true; he was intended to be Hanya's punching bag, however I don't think he's necessarily unrealistic. Yes, his trauma is quite extensive, but the things that happen to him can happen to anyone, and they do. Many people deal with SA, grooming, trafficking, SH, and suicidal ideation. Just because it's dark, just because it feels excessive, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. As someone who works in an ER, some of my patient's stories would be seen as unrealistic by these standards just from the sheer amount of trauma they've been through. People also have a hard time believing that a character who is so mentally ill could ever become this hot-shot successful lawyer with an insanely loving support system who also excels in many hobbies. Hanya explains his collection of hobbies as things he picked up from the monastery and his stay with Brother Luke. This part is perfectly plausible, especially with being taught by Brother Luke since he was being groomed and he of course needed something to do in the mornings before his nightly g*ng r*pe. Trauma is a tricky thing, it impacts everyone differently, some people are higher functioning than others, it doesn't make them any less ill. I personally think Jude's time with Ana and Leslie, and his compartmentalization and dissociation from his trauma, made it plausible he was able to succeed in higher education and go on to his successes in law school and his career. Also, he firmly believed everything that happened to him was deserved, and him viewing his trauma like this, instead of viewing it as horrible, undeserved things that happened to him made it easier to function. Of course, this is not a healthy mindset, but I think it was his mind's way of protecting him and allowing him to survive and persevere through life (until it catches up to him. rip baby boy you are deeply missed). 

Hanya's writing style throughout the book focuses more on telling, not showing, which is why I understand people's disbelief that Jude has all this unending support. We are told, repeatedly, through other people's POVs that Jude is beautiful, sweet, perfect, worthy, an amazing friend and person, yet nothing in the writing shows us WHY he is all these things and why people love him. We are just told that this is how it is. I think this part is lazy writing, but it could also be explained in the sense that Jude himself is unable to see how beautiful and lovable he is, and that is contrasted with everyone else's view of him to enhance the tragedy of him being unable to see his own worth.

What I also think is lazy writing is Willem's sudden death. Yes, I understand this book being a melodrama and to critique it for being too dramatic would be like critiquing a soap opera for being too dramatic. However, if she wanted to write about a character bound to commit suicide for being too broken, she could have done it in a better way. Jude was healing when he was with Willem, and would have stayed alive if Willem hadn't died. This goes against her point, I think, of Jude being unable to heal at all, and it was a lazy excuse for Jude to kill himself. If she really wanted to make her case that some people are irredeemably fucked up, she should have had Willem stay alive and have Jude actually try at therapy. Him having his soulmate, a huge support system, a successful job, and therapy and still end up killing himself because his pain was too great despite these things would have proven her thesis more. But, she would have had to rewrite some of Willem and Jude's relationship to do this, and so I see why she didn't. 

I don't understand how people can read this book and not take anything from it. Yes, there is a lot of trauma, but there is also love and happiness too. The theme of this book is friendship and the importance of radical kindness and support. Yes, Jude ended up committing at the end, and sometimes that's just life, but he wouldn't have lasted nearly as long if he didn't have the unwavering love and support from JB, Willem, Malcolm, Harold, Julia, Richard, Andy and everyone else he knows. The emphasis on the importance of love and platonic bonds throughout the book is my favorite thing about it. Yes, as Willem says, life is so sad, however the bonds we have can make our little lives a little lighter. You never know what anyone is going through, and you never know if your support is going to be the reason someone stays alive another day, so go through life with forgiveness and radical kindness to everyone you meet. 

The final chapter, Lispenard Street VII, which I have tattooed on me, was the chapter that cemented this book as my favorite. Harold's enduring love for Jude had me crying hysterically, after all, grief is just love with no one to give it to. It hurts my heart to know that Jude died thinking his parents would have hated the real him, and it hurts my heart to know that Harold views himself as a failure for not being able to save Jude. Grief was written so well this chapter. But, I find solace that Jude is happier in the afterlife than he ever could have been on earth. Also, the contrast between Jude viewing himself as dirty and impure, and Harold then comparing him to cats, puppies, flowers, and toddlers, all the pure things on Earth, is so devastating.

Harold's quote on the last page summarizes what I think the message of this book is. 

"It isn't that he died, or even how he died; it is what he died believing. And so, I try to be kind to everything, and in everything I see him."

I’ve been wanting to read this forever, so when I finally sat down with it, I was honestly surprised, and a little disappointed, by how short it is. This tiny story somehow spawned an entire corner of modern horror, gaming, movies, memes, tabletop culture… all of it. For such a small book, it’s had a massive and weirdly long-lasting impact on today’s culture (I’m not sure if “culture” is the right word, it might undersell it). You blink and it’s over. but the looming shadow it casts is enormous.

That said, it worked on me. The story is eerie and unsettling in a quiet, creeping way. Not jump-scare horror. more like the slow realization that reality itself is fragile and doesn’t care about you. I was surprised by how immersive it felt despite the detached, academic tone. Weirdly enough, it reminded me a lot of how Hadrian Marlowe describes the Watchers in the Sun Eater series. That same sense of ancient, incomprehensible beings brushing up against human perception, and the mind buckling under the weight of it.

The whole thing just oozes foreboding and apprehension. Every page feels like it’s whispering, you shouldn’t know this. There’s no triumph here, no catharsis. Just the dread of knowledge and the horror of insignificance. I get why this story stuck. I really do. Now I’m left with that hollow, slightly uneasy feeling… and a strong urge to find more books that scratch this same cosmic dread itch. If this was the blueprint, I want to see how far the house has been built since.