Rating: 5/5
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We have our young protagonist,Sarah,an aspiring artist and current art teacher and an elite Dublin school.Our Sarah,bless her heart,tries her best but never quite seems to be able to land on her feet when she falls.
In spite of herself, Sarah finds herself infatuated with Matthew,the father of one of her students, a rich man twenty hears her senior, emotionally unavailable and all around terrible for her.
This relationship of sorts affects all aspects of Sarah's life and it doesn't quite go the way she had originally hoped it would.
(the novel also explores the power dynamics between people in relationships finding themselves in different socio-economical circles as well as the whole subplot of the artist trying to make it)
Thoughts:
Louise O'Neill truly never fails to amaze me.
I must admit that,for once,I was little worried going into one of her books simply because the core theme of a young woman infatuated with an older man who couldn't really give less of a toss about her could go wrong very easily.That being said,I think Louise did a spectacular job walking that very fine line.
There were things that I expected in this book and that played a large part in my high expectations for the book, such as Louise's engaging as well as poignant writing style, which not only met my expectations,but managed to exceed them. Her use of different persons in the narrative in order to symbolise Sarah's distancing of her own narrative were a punch to the heart in the best way possible. I also thought that the way she made Sarah relatable, yet pretty unlikable, were the most Louise-like choice and,as always,added so much depth to the story and so much authenticity to Sarah's character. She was a complex,raw,flawed mess of a human who was sometimes aware of her own shortcomings and who sometimes went off track,overwhelmed by the pressure of her circumstances,yet in the end she tried her best. Sarah is very much the nasty woman that we,as a society,need to get accustomed as well as used to. Her secondary characters are also great and complex and feel like proper humans that you could come across and the dynamics between them all feel just as realistic. That being said, Matthew can choke, Fionn is the newfound love of my life and Oonagh is a queen that can do no wrong. That is all. Sarah's friends from back home and the way they all interact do feel like real ways people who've known each other act around one another once they grow so differently.
The way Almost Love explores the theme of toxic infatuation is impressive to say the least. The way that certain 'relationship' starts and the way it develops and ends are so far from one another and you're taken by surprise by the whole ride that it is as a reader, you can't help but hold your breath a little bit for Sarah knowing where it is all headed. You also have the added nuance of the other hints of romance we see from Sarah's life. You can't help but root for her but live under the impeding failure of all those could-be love stories.
What I didn't quite expect,however,was the added subplot of art. I absolutely loved every little paragraph and sentence that we got that dealt with that theme and would have read another 200 pages of the book were they to deal with that,but alas,I did get just enough to keep me happy and it shall suffice.Not only was the theme of art such a great addition to the general plot as far as I am concerned,but the artistic persona added such an intricate layer to Sarah's character and her relation with art felt so tightly correlated to her relation with herself and those around her.
I also appreciated the feminism undertones sprinkled every now and again which,also,felt very Louise-esque.
Overall,I think I could confidently say that this is the raw,messy,real novel one would expect from Louise and she further solidifies herself as one of Ireland's most promising literary voices.I truly could spend hours talking about all the recurring elements and symbols in this book,as well as other general thoughts.If I had a hat on,I would take it off,but I do not,so it shall suffice to say I take my proverbial hat off and bow.
I must admit that,for once,I was little worried going into one of her books simply because the core theme of a young woman infatuated with an older man who couldn't really give less of a toss about her could go wrong very easily.That being said,I think Louise did a spectacular job walking that very fine line.
There were things that I expected in this book and that played a large part in my high expectations for the book, such as Louise's engaging as well as poignant writing style, which not only met my expectations,but managed to exceed them. Her use of different persons in the narrative in order to symbolise Sarah's distancing of her own narrative were a punch to the heart in the best way possible. I also thought that the way she made Sarah relatable, yet pretty unlikable, were the most Louise-like choice and,as always,added so much depth to the story and so much authenticity to Sarah's character. She was a complex,raw,flawed mess of a human who was sometimes aware of her own shortcomings and who sometimes went off track,overwhelmed by the pressure of her circumstances,yet in the end she tried her best. Sarah is very much the nasty woman that we,as a society,need to get accustomed as well as used to. Her secondary characters are also great and complex and feel like proper humans that you could come across and the dynamics between them all feel just as realistic. That being said, Matthew can choke, Fionn is the newfound love of my life and Oonagh is a queen that can do no wrong. That is all. Sarah's friends from back home and the way they all interact do feel like real ways people who've known each other act around one another once they grow so differently.
The way Almost Love explores the theme of toxic infatuation is impressive to say the least. The way that certain 'relationship' starts and the way it develops and ends are so far from one another and you're taken by surprise by the whole ride that it is as a reader, you can't help but hold your breath a little bit for Sarah knowing where it is all headed. You also have the added nuance of the other hints of romance we see from Sarah's life. You can't help but root for her but live under the impeding failure of all those could-be love stories.
What I didn't quite expect,however,was the added subplot of art. I absolutely loved every little paragraph and sentence that we got that dealt with that theme and would have read another 200 pages of the book were they to deal with that,but alas,I did get just enough to keep me happy and it shall suffice.Not only was the theme of art such a great addition to the general plot as far as I am concerned,but the artistic persona added such an intricate layer to Sarah's character and her relation with art felt so tightly correlated to her relation with herself and those around her.
I also appreciated the feminism undertones sprinkled every now and again which,also,felt very Louise-esque.
Overall,I think I could confidently say that this is the raw,messy,real novel one would expect from Louise and she further solidifies herself as one of Ireland's most promising literary voices.I truly could spend hours talking about all the recurring elements and symbols in this book,as well as other general thoughts.If I had a hat on,I would take it off,but I do not,so it shall suffice to say I take my proverbial hat off and bow.
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