Scan barcode
A review by whatannikareads
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ahhhHhHhHhHhhhhhh????? it is so difficult to put into words how i feel. i can’t make this sound pretty tbh. this book feels like…..a liminal space, if that makes sense?
it feels like if normal people by sally rooney, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, and lost in translation had a baby???
i think if you didn’t like normal people you won’t like this. it is train of thought, the perspectives and dialogue switch mid-sentence. it is rapid and feels written to the speed of Regan’s thoughts. but i think that’s what makes it so special.
these characters aren’t super likable, but they’re not meant to be. it is such a raw description of mental illness, existential crises; it’s like scraping the insides of the characters’ skulls. at times it does feel pretentiously written, and you DO need your thinking cap to read some of these sentences, and reread again and again.
but that’s exactly what i want to do. i want to reread it already. there were so many thoughts from both characters that sat in the pits of my soul. that so beautifully described what figuring out time and love is. it speeds up, slows down, holds silence for intimate moments. at times i was reading it so quickly because it’s the same pace as regan’s mind. it felt like watching a movie. i loved that it was less description of physical space and more of just what’s constantly running through their minds. they see the world so expansively and deeply.
this isn’t a fairytale and i love that the ending didn’t try to be that. this is a story i just want to bury myself in and continue to watch the unraveling of their lives.
it feels like if normal people by sally rooney, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, and lost in translation had a baby???
i think if you didn’t like normal people you won’t like this. it is train of thought, the perspectives and dialogue switch mid-sentence. it is rapid and feels written to the speed of Regan’s thoughts. but i think that’s what makes it so special.
these characters aren’t super likable, but they’re not meant to be. it is such a raw description of mental illness, existential crises; it’s like scraping the insides of the characters’ skulls. at times it does feel pretentiously written, and you DO need your thinking cap to read some of these sentences, and reread again and again.
but that’s exactly what i want to do. i want to reread it already. there were so many thoughts from both characters that sat in the pits of my soul. that so beautifully described what figuring out time and love is. it speeds up, slows down, holds silence for intimate moments. at times i was reading it so quickly because it’s the same pace as regan’s mind. it felt like watching a movie. i loved that it was less description of physical space and more of just what’s constantly running through their minds. they see the world so expansively and deeply.
this isn’t a fairytale and i love that the ending didn’t try to be that. this is a story i just want to bury myself in and continue to watch the unraveling of their lives.