Brian O'Connell > Recent Status Updates

Much more overtly dramatic than the previous two sections. We’ve got grief, romance, and suspense, as well as the frightening atmosphere of misogyny, which is building in force as the book progresses. The characters are expertly drawn here as elsewhere. Several breathtaking passages. Difficult to unpack. The dread is palpable by the final sentences. Here come the crimes...

After the giddy and nightmarish first section, something briefer, more cryptic and poetic; weighted with melancholy, moving closer toward the black heart of the piece, compellingly ambiguous and deeply affecting all at once. Beautiful writing. Lurking madness. Homophobia also seems to be emerging as a minor theme, or at least as a significant motif.

Wow, this is absolutely sensational so far, and I’m not even at the “good part” yet. Although I’m not at all sure why the Part About the Critics has received such little attention, as it’s a phenomenal piece of writing all on its own—perhaps it’s overshadowed by the later portions of the book. Still, it seems critical in establishing specific patterns: money, whiteness, misogyny, fate, art, violence...

Laura Albert is a piece of shit

(pages 593—647 read on 12/8/20; pages 647—657 read just after midnight on 12/9/20)