Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Real Life

What an amazing novel! Painted such a clear picture of life in academia and the pitfalls that come with it. What could have been a passable campus novel became so much more. The best parts of the book were when the main character, Wallace, was left to think and ruminate on his own. His thoughts about being black in a group of white friends, the small uncomfortable and unspoken moments that would quietly eat away at him were heartbreaking. I had to put the book down several times because of how angry I was at the people around him. Other parts were hard not to skip ahead because I wanted to know what was going to happen so badly.

Taylor changes tenses 3 times in the book and though this sounds like it would be confusing, it fits with the narrative really well and shows what a fantastic writer he is; and this is his debut!

I can't wait to read more from Brandon Taylor and this book is an instant classic. A must-read for anyone in grad school.

Content Warnings

ericarobinson's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Content Warnings

gracer's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

For the most part, I really liked this book. I got sucked in pretty quickly (although, for the sake of clarity, I did start it in the vacuum of a transatlantic flight) and then had a hard time putting it down. I would have finished it sooner, but I got nervous about finishing it without having something else going, so started some other books in the meantime.

The downsides to this book are basically the MFA-writing and the dramatic last 15% or so. The MFA-writing was mostly beareable, aside from the overuse of the word slick:

"the world spun in slow, dark, slick circuits." (p. 20)
"There was something slick in the water" (p. 29)
"some inner surface goes slick and hot" (p. 84)
"he peels back [the apple slices'] slick skins" (p.173)
"slick with sweat" (acceptable. p. 259)
"the slick, cool countertop" (p. 291)
"slick with sweat" (p. 298)
"the smooth, slick concrete stairs" (p. 316)

There's only 8 mentions in the whole book but wow I found it distracting. Mr Taylor, please, retire this word from your vocabulary.

Sorry to dwell on that. I really had to get that off my chest.

More importantly: this is a book about a weekend when everything and nothing happens. It is about a very strong internal life and feeling completely ostracized and alone. It's also about racism and homophobia. (side note: as a white person... damn. This is why we need to read more books by Black authors.) The writing (aside from the previously mentioned) was really engaging; scenes were strong and visual as well as atmospheric. There were almost too many characters, but the way they were introduced, mostly as groups in scene-like situations, made it work - I was only confused a couple times, and only about minor characters (and then the kindle x-ray feature solved any lingering questions).

Gotta love that the token racist, homphobic, manipulative, coddled b**** is a Pacific Northwesterner.

This book was full of really reflective and interesting musings on the nature of being in grad school, how consuming it can be and how hard it is to be part of the "real world" when you are consumed by the world of grad school.

But be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. There's a lot of intense stuff that happens at the end, and a lot of characters unpacking lots of issues throughout. A fast read, but not at all a light one.

Content Warnings

maddiekinsp's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Content Warnings

annreadsabook's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

4.75

Content Warnings

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

real life is an introspective, melancholically realistic read that's startlingly sublime and nuanced, and i quite liked it up until towards the end where my enjoyment unfortunately wanes for a few reasons.

this book masterfully captures the bone-deep exhaustion of a queer black man navigating adulthood who's been through - is still going through - a lot of shit, and flays open the world's bullshit for all to see. taylor offers a deep, skeptical exploration of the world of academia - and by extension the main character wallace's escape of his source of trauma - and asks: is this real life, a life spent in labs, cocooned from the outside world? is staying in one's comfort zone truly better than taking one's chances in harsh reality?

i enjoy the illustration of subtle maneuvering and socializing as well, how a person - specifically someone deemed a minority or different - has to be sacrified for the comfort of the greater group around both the literal and proverbial table. the microaggressions and sometimes overt racism endured by wallace are scream-inducing and infuriating, once again shedding light on the reality of black folks and how white ppl gonna white ppl, even the supposedly 'good' ones. most of the characters are also nuanced and multidimensional.

however, i find the writing to be a lil stiff at times esp in the beginning. the long soliloquys on birds and the like - even though i kinda get their symbolic significance - also annoy me, as they sometimes seem too out-of-the-blue and affect the pacing.

nevertheless, my personal dislike of the lack of character growth is what most affects the book's overall rating towards the end. i respect the author's decision and am aware that it'd be unrealistic for wallace to significantly develop or change in some way w/in the period of one friggin weekend. what bothers me actually isnt the lack of character development but the character's unwillingness to change - maybe even overt avoidance or active decision to self-destruct - despite being aware of his own faults, though to be fair it's perhaps a result of his trauma and family conditioning. still, too much has happened for there to not be any change, yet awareness might be the first step towards it.

overall, this is a novel that subtly yet powerfully explores its themes, main character, and the world around him, esp in regards to racism and mental illness, though i personally would've liked more subtle interspersing of symbolism and more character development.

Content Warnings

asreadbybrad's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

More...