Paper reviewed Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet
Dislike
This cis/heteronormative rich white neoliberal morality crisis hellscape of a book was decidedly not meant for me and I don't know why I bothered to finish it.
It does have its moments, but. It's trying so hard to be self-aware and meaningful, and falling so short of it. It's so blatant that for a while I thought it was doing it on purpose, but no. And it just meanders and wallows, plot-wise.
And the main character is an insufferable rich "philanthropist" who can do no wrong and is repeatedly wronged by people who want his money.
He and the other characters barely have personalities at all.
The women, especially, feel peripheral. Even though the book is written by a woman, everything is about the men - even the parts about the MC volunteering at a women's shelter are about the men - and the men are more developed as characters. …
This cis/heteronormative rich white neoliberal morality crisis hellscape of a book was decidedly not meant for me and I don't know why I bothered to finish it.
It does have its moments, but. It's trying so hard to be self-aware and meaningful, and falling so short of it. It's so blatant that for a while I thought it was doing it on purpose, but no. And it just meanders and wallows, plot-wise.
And the main character is an insufferable rich "philanthropist" who can do no wrong and is repeatedly wronged by people who want his money.
He and the other characters barely have personalities at all.
The women, especially, feel peripheral. Even though the book is written by a woman, everything is about the men - even the parts about the MC volunteering at a women's shelter are about the men - and the men are more developed as characters. But this kind of fits in with everything else about the book.
I think I hate it, and I will probably soon forget it. At least, that's my hot take, having just finished it.
