A review by raelin
Real Life by Brandon Taylor

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.25

Things I Loved
  • The lab setting and descriptions and inclusions of high science. I have never read a book that casually includes the graduate setting of a science lab and I loved that backdrop of order and focus admits the emotional chaos and intensity  surrounding Wallace. 
  • The sharing of a painful insight into what it is like to be the “other” in academia at a PWI. 
  • The beautiful prose and achingly tragic descriptions. 
Overall this was just a gut wrenching, rip your heart out and cry for Wallace. I was depressed and deeply sad the whole time reading it. It felt open and important to read, but painful. 
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