Welcome to Litsy!

I was initially confused but completely blown away by how Johnson unraveled this story. A young woman searching for a mother who had abandoned her years before. Switching from present to their past life on a boathouse, we also follow the enigmatic Marcus who stayed with them for a period of time. Again, initially confusing but so worth it once you start piecing it together. A love letter to language, a modern take on myth, an astonishing debut.

This isn‘t my usual type of book (it‘s a bit weird), but I really enjoyed it! The writing was wonderful and I was inordinately pleased when I understood the ‘twist‘ at the end, as I often don‘t with these stream-of-consciousness books - they sometimes leave me puzzled.

Thanks so much for sending it to me @BarbaraBB - and I found a surprise bookmark halfway through! 😘

Also this book has given me my first bingo line in October! #bookspinbingo

This is a very Booker book. Weird, convoluted, depressing, crazy writing style and I just don‘t want to read any more. Sorry Helen, I‘m out at page 50. #buddyread

Unsettling, original and modern reinterpretation of the myth of Oedipus, with the mythological figure replaced by a contemporary teen female character

"Life is like that. Sometimes facing one direction but only for a second and then it's spinning and spinning, revolving on its base so fast it's impossible to really see. Except sometimes you catch a glimpse and you sit there and you know that's what it would have been like if things had gone differently, that is the way it could have been."

In Everything Under, words have the power to isolate. When you share a language that outsiders could never understand, you are kept close. Words, however, also have a way of setting an idea into being. When Sarah calls something a "Bonak,” she is, in fact, calling something — a fear, a monster, death. Throughout the novel — slow, winding, like a river — the characters learn how impossible it is to catch anything once it‘s in motion.

This had such gorgeous prose and creepy undercurrents. A thoughtful Oedipus retelling that will stay with me.

Day 5 of #7days7covers #covercrush I still need to read this one!

Day3 #7Days7Covers #CoverCrush
I‘m eyeing you @BarbaraBB consider yourself tagged

Reading Envy Podcast Episode 164: Character Driven with Carol Ann.

Carol Ann is back to talk books with more reading in her rearview. We each talk about books we've liked lately but also end up talking about cheese at the end.

@TheBookAndBeyond

https://tinyurl.com/ReadingEnvy164

Just started this and must admit I‘m struggling to get into it. What did you think?

Everything Under by Daisy Johnson is yet another novel based on a myth that I didn't know about until I finished. Arghhhh. But I think it only informs one piece of the story. The non-linear fragmented chapters rotate points of view and narrative voice (2nd person, 3rd person, etc.)⤵️

My expectations were too high.... There wasn't enough mystery to make it intriguing or enough suspense to make it a thriller and not enough creepiness or magic or atmosphere to make it otherworldly but the book had elements of all these things. And I didn't like the way it all wrapped up at the end. And I didn't feel that strongly about any of the characters. Some beautiful writing pulled me through but I disliked the story.

Sitting by the pool with freshly baked banana muffins while the kids have a swim playdate. So not ready for the start of school.

Technically this is an amazing book. Beautifully written, intelligent use of myth, on point queering of the narrative, wonderfully evoked locations & histories, well developed & nuanced characters. All that stuff. But - rather unsurprisingly - I just didn't like it. Nor did I really enjoy the reading experience. Not sure why, it just left me a little cold .... and bored. It is also unrelentingly grim & I was properly miserable by the end.

Lovely lyrical language with deep undertones. This is a book I should‘ve liked and yet I never connected with it and instead reading felt a bit of a chore 🤷‍♀️

I must have seen this on a “summer‘s best reads” list. Didn‘t grab me at the start and I bailed. Maybe give it a try later.

Starting this one just now - heard good things about it so I'm looking forward to it. With thanks to #netgalley for this book.

A genderbent, queer retelling of Oedipus, which left me feeling deeply unsettled but in a good way.

My library #bookhaul from earlier today. I checked out three veg-friendly meat-free cookbooks from the new-ish section & bought the two books on top at the half-price sale at the library bookstore. Both books got mixed reviews on Litsy, but they are in perfect condition & I love the covers, & on sale it was just $1 for both so if I don't like them, it's not a big loss.
📚🤗

Wow!! I was about a quarter in, ready to DNF, I just didnt get it....so glad I didnt. This was so wild, so original, so deep...a women searching for her mother she has not seen in years....wants to rebuild and relive the memories of growing up on a boat in a canal together, using their own language. Except, once she finds her mother, she is in a home with Alzheimers....
Man, did I end up loving this.

“The places we are born come back. They disguise themselves as migraines, stomach aches, insomnia. They are the way we sometimes wake falling, fumbling for the bedside lamp, certain everything we‘ve built has gone in the night. We become strangers to the places we are born. They would not recognize us but we will always recognize them. They are marrow to us; they are bred into us.”

But sometimes I wonder if you are right and if all of our choices are remnants of all the choices we made before. As if decisions were shards from the bombs of our previous actions.

Her writing is beautiful, but the book is a bit hard to follow at first. It took me about 100 pages to finally get it (maybe it‘s just me!). I wish I hadn‘t known the myth this is based on - that would have made what happens less predictable which I probably would have enjoyed more. It‘s definitely a bit of a tragedy so be ready for it!

This wasn't quite what I expected. Johnson's short story collection floored me and I anticipated more of the surrealistic fantasy I loved about it to be present here. Still, this was interesting and the writing is superb.

A story about a daughter and a mother, in the present and in the past, and how their past affect the present.

It‘s not an easy read, shifting between the different times, but still there‘s something in the writing that makes it easy to read. I don‘t know how to describe that.

I‘ll definitely read her next novel. I might even try her short story collection, and I‘m not much of a short story reader.

There's a lot going on in this inventive retelling of the Oedipus myth: fate, identity, family, belonging, and (that which especially piqued my interest) the degree to which those things are determined by language. It's well written and I had a hard time putting the book down but it's necessarily a murky and disturbing tale. I recommend a brisk walk after to clear your head (maybe steer clear of waterways, though!).

This is interesting! Linguistically-determined fate. 😶

One of those that when you finish you are speechless, unsure what exactly to say. Daisy Johnson‘s writing is stunning, the story takes a dark Oedipus turn. I will spend the rest of the day pondering it‘s meaning, deep into the night. #Blackwell‘soxford

Oops...my library books have gotten out to of control!! I started Everything Under last night and 30 pages in I am loving it so far.

Something her father had said came back to her though only partly; something about how achieving only the smallest thing was still an achievement

Snagged this off the library's #luckyday shelf. I hadn't heard anything about it when I picked it up but later discovered it was shortlisted for 2018 Man Booker & the author is the prize's youngest finalist to date. It's a bit experimental in its structure so it took me a minute to get into it, but now I'm dragged in deep, absorbed, swept up in the tempestuous and twisting river that is a crucial part of this story.

This was a great read. A creative spin on the myth of Oedipus, and an intense look at the relationships between parents and children, with our past, and fate. Fantastic storytelling from start to finish. “The places we are born come back.” #LitsyAtoZ

Excited to start this one today!! 😃

I walked to the library today to pick up the two at the top. So naturally I came home with more books. I haven‘t borrowed books from the library in 15 yrs and I hope I manage to keep this up. To borrow books instead of buying them.

@SiriK ser du hvilken bok som ble med hjem?

I really enjoyed the poetry of this book. It felt refreshing and tangible. A great retelling of the Oedipus tragedy

#newin a couple of beauties borrowed from the lovely @Samplergal 😍
The reviews are mixed here on Litsy for the tagged book, but one of the blurbs compares the writing to Graham Swift, who I adore.... so I am optimistic 😊
And the London Letters are just so pretty!

Just starting this book & hoping I can squeeze in a few hours of reading this afternoon before returning to work Monday. The writing is wonderful so far.

I really wanted to read this book but the over the top descriptive imagery is a slog to get through. Going to prioritize my other library books.

Looking at this title for reviews

The only book I managed to read while on holiday. Love the cover (5 stars)but the book...not so much! It had some beautiful writing and incredible imagery but the story was messy, confusing & mostly unfulfilling. It just didn‘t work for me & I was super glad that it was a relatively short book. 2.5 stars. Took an awesome London street art tour and thought I‘d share a pic💜

I still remembered then, I think, most of what it had been like to live on the river, and the knowledge of this was strung inside me and along my arms like blinking eyes.

Gah!!! I really thought I‘d love this book, but I‘m feeling so UNDER-whelmed and confused after reading it. The story tries to be too much at once, though the writing is great. My full review:
https://sumaiyyareads.wordpress.com/2018/10/18/book-review-everything-under-by-d...

I have now finished the Booker shortlist! This is a gorgeous retelling of Oedipus Rex. Told through alternating storylines of Gretel‘s current life with her mother who is suffering from Alzheimer‘s, their old life together on the river, and the time Gretel spent looking for her mother. Filled with striking symbolism of fate, lust, rebirth, and guilt and shame, this book addresses the old themes in the original play with a modern sensibility. 4⭐️

#3/6 of the #manbooker shortlist finished in time for the winner to be announced. Review pending because I was left quite unsettled and am going to have to sit on it for a while before forming an opinion...

Book 27: Dived into this on a glorious autumn weekend away by the sea in Anglesey and finished it back home by the East London canals. Perfect settings for this beautiful debut that has an almost magic realist approach to nature, mythology and relationships. Cannot wait to see what Johnson comes out with next.