This is an unusual book that starts off in a strange way, but pays off with perseverance. With no background information before I started reading, I wasn’t sure about the genre. The first part of the book is quite silly and serves as sort of a mocking of the pervasiveness (and ridiculousness) of social media culture. The jokes kept coming and I was thinking that things were starting to get stale. I almost stopped reading thinking that this just wasn’t for me, but the author was sneakily assembling in the background what would come to the forefront in the second part of the book. I’m really glad that I stuck around. If I have any criticism it is that the two parts of the book could be more balanced.
The format is Part 1 and Part 2, and I honestly really didn’t pay much attention to the Part 1 page (thereby missing the implication that there was a Part 2). While Part 1 focuses on mocking the ridiculousness, Part 2 is a more serious look at what really matters – for all of us. The beauty and the heartbreak in this part of the book was worth the price of admission. I didn’t know that the author is also known for her poetry, and it really does show through in her prose.
So I was (in the end) really satisfied with how the book worked out, and I’d encourage people reading it to stick around for the second part to see how it all ties together. It is hard to explain here without ruining the story for someone, but I can just say it was more that worth your time.
Next I am waiting on a book at the library, so for the time being I’ll be catching up on magazine articles that I’ve been saving.
