Curtis’s Reviews > Whalefall > Status Update
Curtis
is on page 239 of 327
Getting worse. Eye-rolling writing. Also seems to be victim-blaming Jay & downplaying the abuse he suffered as 'tough love' or something, while the rest of his family enabled his treatment & gaslights him about it. At first I thought this was a realistic depiction of how abuse victims beat themselves up even if away from their abuser until I realized the book expects us to take this apologist rhetoric seriously.
— Mar 12, 2024 07:55AM
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Curtis’s Previous Updates
Curtis
is finished
Yikes. Super cheesy, farfetched, silly ending that feels more suited to the hackiest pulp novels from the 80s. Symbolism so hokey and over-explained that the emotional core of the book feels like a parody. Would have been a fun finale in a dimestore pulp novel, but here, with the novel expecting you to take it so seriously, it just falls flat. Not an abysmal book; not a stand-out either. Just kinda meh.
— Mar 12, 2024 08:32PM
Curtis
is on page 211 of 327
Chapter intercutting gives you a sense of ticking clock; each indicating oxygen levels. But I still feel like I'm being given whiplash going from present to past so rapidly, and the increasing internal dialogue w/ the whale & Jay's dad. I need time to linger in the situation. Still eager to see where things go, & engaged in the emotional core of the story as well as metaphorical aspects. Hoping for great climax.
— Mar 10, 2024 05:12PM
Curtis
is on page 111 of 327
Liking it! Strained father-son relationship already tugging at heart strings. Jay and his alienation from masculinity feels real; relatable. Very evocative, writing style that interchanges nouns/verbs creatively. However, sometimes overdone/bordering on pretentious; scene that should be fast-paced is a bit bloated due to this. Intercutting a bit too much between past/present. But when Kraus gets it right, it works.
— Mar 09, 2024 08:38AM
