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literarygrooves's reviews
236 reviews
Honey: A Novel by Isabel Banta
3.0
When I first read the synopsis for Honey, I felt certain this book was written for me. I am a pop music and pop culture fan, raised in the 90s on Britney, Christina, Spice Girls, *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. I am intimately familiar with the culture of the VMAs and TRL, of Disney child stars turned MTV mega stars being hounded by paparazzi and sexualized by the media.
So yes, when I found out that Honey’s plot revolves entirely around this era of pop culture, I was extremely excited. And while the nostalgia is absolutely there and is, in a way, fun to relive, I also found myself wanting more.
Maybe there is such a thing as being TOO much the intended audience? Maybe I’ve spent far too long deep in the weeds of my own feminist analysis of the 90s pop princess phenomenon, but unfortunately I came away from Honey feeling simply like there was no new ground tread here.
Honey still gets 3 stars from me for the nostalgia factor and I did really enjoy the female friendship factor of this book, given how women artists continue to be pitted against each other in the media. I would say if you are still reeling from Britney’s memoir and looking to read something similar but fictional, then Honey might be a great choice for you!
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
5.0
My first read by Julia Armfield, and WOW, the hype is very well-deserved.
End of times/climate change settings are usually hit-or-miss for me, sometimes leaning on trope-y stereotypes that take some of the punch out of the message. Armfield’s setting here is one of the best I’ve ever read. Bleak, foreboding, utterly dreadful, but also incredibly, depressingly realistic. I think sometimes there tends to be imagined this absolute chaotic, quick descent into apocalyptic circumstances but sadly, what Armfield presents is probably the most realistic: a slow sinking, many folks continuing about their days as normal, going to work as usual.
While “The City” is quite literally its own character here and is wonderfully done, our three main characters - Isla, Irene & Agnes - are also incredibly well-written. Isla drove me a bit insane, and I had quite a soft spot for both Irene and Agnes (especially Irene, I felt a bit of a kinship with her, to be honest), but all 3 are so fully realized that I truly had empathy for them all. Plus I’m a sucker for complex, dysfunctional family dynamics.
Ultimately, while this is a slow burn horror novel that pays off with a horrifying and creepy finale, it’s also a story of queer love, familial love, the desperation, hope and maybe even salvation found in love during the worst of times.
End of times/climate change settings are usually hit-or-miss for me, sometimes leaning on trope-y stereotypes that take some of the punch out of the message. Armfield’s setting here is one of the best I’ve ever read. Bleak, foreboding, utterly dreadful, but also incredibly, depressingly realistic. I think sometimes there tends to be imagined this absolute chaotic, quick descent into apocalyptic circumstances but sadly, what Armfield presents is probably the most realistic: a slow sinking, many folks continuing about their days as normal, going to work as usual.
While “The City” is quite literally its own character here and is wonderfully done, our three main characters - Isla, Irene & Agnes - are also incredibly well-written. Isla drove me a bit insane, and I had quite a soft spot for both Irene and Agnes (especially Irene, I felt a bit of a kinship with her, to be honest), but all 3 are so fully realized that I truly had empathy for them all. Plus I’m a sucker for complex, dysfunctional family dynamics.
Ultimately, while this is a slow burn horror novel that pays off with a horrifying and creepy finale, it’s also a story of queer love, familial love, the desperation, hope and maybe even salvation found in love during the worst of times.