peeled_grape's reviews
134 reviews

Could not get over Rufus' dialogue. So bad.

Extremely meh but the ending will stick with me for a while. Took too long to get there, I think. 

Hated that Rufus only died because he got the Death-Cast call. (Same with the serial killers--their victims only die because they got the call??) The love story was actually believable. Mateo's death scene was so terrible. Also why the hell do they survive a bombing AND a shooting before dying?? What??

Reference for: queer lit, literary timers, one-day novel, contemporary romance, speculative fiction

Reference for: polyamory, matriarchy, high fantasy, surreal fantasy

Somehow every single character is terrible. Reference for: racism, appropriation, plagiarism, white woman nonsense

Reference for: allegory, Stalin/Russia, dictators, revolutions, satire

Reference for: pandemic lit, nomadic characters, apocalypse lit

Reference for: women’s exclusion in discussions of their own health, female homoeroticism, vampire as metaphor for queerness. Stoker stole so much from Carmilla lolll

Reference for: Christian colonialism, indigenous genocide, indigenous stories, hybrid collection, assimilation, residential schools, racism

Reference for: sexism, antisemitism, white Christian patriarchy, polyamory, polyandry, horror, disability (+violence and monstrosity), “madness”

Approachable. A good insight into indigenous relationships with the natural world that, finally, made me understand the logic--it goes beyond spirituality. Each chapter is self-contained and describes lessons different plants/natural features can teach us. A more hopeful approach to climate change and the Anthropocene. 

Wendigo as metaphor for capitalism/capitalist greed. Market economy vs. gift economy. 

I liked this one a lot better the second time around. I’m wondering why Delaney has such an invested interest in us being and remaining confused—it’s a major part of the novel, down to the style of consistently interrupted sentences. I’m also curious about how to read the war, which happens nearly entirely in the background of the novel, and is no real concern to Bron. It’s funny in its absurdity, and its total commitment to the bit. The lack of self awareness Bron has is stunning. Lots to unpack here lolll