Overall: Not my thing. Do not recommend.

What’s great about the book:
I love the author’s writing style, easy to read and she knew well how to use words to create an atmosphere.

What I personally do not like the book:
The plot, the character, the psychological analysis and the character development.



** My view on the book can be seems very aggressive. Those are just honest opinion and feeling right after finish this book.





After the reading through the whole book, i could not understand why this book was so popular at all.

The psychological analysis of the character is a lot more shallow than what i have heard. None of the character is likeable and it get worse as the plot goes. Not likeable character is not the problem. I have read stories with not likeable characters and that still them enjoyable to read. This book dealt badly on topic of abusive relationship, mental health issues, social class difference and bully issues. It feels like the author try to make character pitiful yet glossing over the real issues that comes with it.

As a roman novel, their relationship is just sad and not admirable to read. I am sorry but I don’t think Connell is actually in love with Marianne or any women appeared in the book. He was in love with the different side of himself when he was with different women. Being with Marianne make him feel like someone special, smart and rebellious. Being with Hellen make him feel like someone good, normal and socially acceptable. He never deeply care for any of those women in his life, he is only interested surface problems, like is Marianne happy or safe on the surface. Yet, he never want a confirmed relationship with Marianne because he is care too much of his own image and want to be that socially acceptable ‘normal’ person.

Marianne is just want a man give what she think she deserve: someone use her as they need and then abandon her, because she is a bad person and she deserve this kind of treatment. She was likeable at the beginning of the book, where i thought she got a personality who do not care for rules and intelligent. That was all gone as the plot developed. Yeah she is smart as she get good grade and interested in international issues, but her smartness seems more like a good covering reason for: oh i am a bad, slutty attention-seeker who does not fit anywhere and deserve punishment because i am too smart, too independent, too special. I feel she love Connell because he gave her the best emotional and psychological abuse she desired. He uses her, cares for her, and abandoned her for whatever reasons, then came back to her again.

In a way they are perfect for each other: both extremely self-centred.

As a literature, this novel, in personal opinion, lack of the depth in many levels. The author did tried to catch the stereotyped modern life of the younger generation of that culture, I guess. For anyone who came from different culture background, they may find it less relatable. Even for that culture, I still think it only represent a small percentage of people’s life style and view points.

I only enjoyed the first quarter of the book, the rest of the book was rather painful to chew through. It is not the writing that made it hard, but constantly falling of the expectations. I also feel she wasted a lot of the great scenes that I think could be presented in a more impactful way. She left them plain as water ( it could be her style. I love her writing style so it is not a massive issue to me)

It is not a book to be recommended if good character development and psychological analysis is important for you.