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theinkwyrm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
If I hadn’t been reading this for book club, I would have DNFd it in the first 20 pages. But, I was reading it for book club, so I had to finish it. This was just not my jam. I went into it expecting to get a Frankenstein retelling, which it might have been but if it was, it was only a loosely inspired retelling (honestly, it’s been too long since I’ve read Frankenstein to draw any meaningful connections). It felt more like a slice-of-life historical fiction about a time of great upheaval in Baghdad’s history and the monster felt like it was supposed to be a metaphor for Baghdad itself, but I don’t know enough (read: nothing) about Baghdad’s history to determine if that’s accurate or not. Also, there were too many POVs and I didn’t really care about any of them except the monster and Elshiva. Also, I was disappointed there wasn’t cannibalism like the blurb led me to think there might be. The writing and translation were good though.
nursays's review against another edition
It's just so boring. I can barely read more than a paragraph without snoozing...
blairmahoney's review against another edition
4.0
An impressive repurposing of the Frankenstein story to comment on life in Baghdad under the American occupation in the early 2000s. There's plenty of black humour on offer and some light metafictional elements amongst the magical realism.
elladensnella's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
tifish's review against another edition
4.5
i really liked it! now i want to reread frankenstein and compare the creature and whatsitsname. there are a.lot of characters in this book and everyone has ties with someone else, so in the beginning it was a bit hard to remember who is who, and i even drew a chart to better grasp the connections between characters. the timeline can be confusing as well, often ending the chapter in one time and starting the next chapter a few days prior, or giving no indication that a few months have passed in-universe, but this sense of disorientation only added to the reading experience, considering how tumultuous and uncertain was everything during the american occupation of baghdad
also whatsitsname is a genius character, a literal collective image of the victims. very interesting use of a concept of a frankensteins monster
also whatsitsname is a genius character, a literal collective image of the victims. very interesting use of a concept of a frankensteins monster
ari767's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
thehairyit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
andantes's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0