November '25 Reading Recap
Spoiler-Free Reviews
As always, this recap is brought to you by the book club, Men Read Fiction Too!
November Book Pick
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
“I couldn’t be bothered to deal with fixing things. I preferred to wallow in the problem, dream of better days.”
I would like to preface this review by saying I’m a fan of most of Moshfegh’s work. Her prose is servicable, but I quite enjoy the edginess she brings to her work. A level of revolting narcissism is intrinsic to her books which I can get behind. All that said, I did not like Eileen in the least bit.
While I can sympathize with the plight of our titular character, there was a strong annoyance I had with her. I found reading the characters thoughts in first person to be quite insufferable, despite some attempts at comedic levity. Of course having an insufferable character isn’t a bad thing, but the true sin of this novel is that it’s written in quite a boring manner. There was little to nothing that I enjoyed out of reading this book.
Moshfegh’s style hasn’t fully bloomed here, as there’s little to find interesting or entertaining in this. I kept repeating to myself ‘get on with it’ as I read through perverted ramblings that felt dull. The ‘thriller’ element is introduced towards the end of the story and it was severely lacking. It became the catalyst for Eileen to leave her hostile situation, which is fine, but
This may sound harsh, especially coming from someone who is writing their first novel, but I am amazed this book won any kind of award. As far as debut books go, Eileen gives me the confidence that I can write something better.
Personal Reads
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
“Imagination, of course, can open any door - turn the key and let terror walk right in.”
I’m upset that my high school did not make me read this in class because it’s brilliant. It singlehandedly created the true crime sub-genre.
If you’ve read my past reviews, you know prose are the most important things in books and here, it almost feels documentarian in a way. This book is incredibly intimate, yet feels objective at times. Of course Capote was subjective in the matter of the killers, but it’s in the service of humanizing them. Yes, they committed one of the most heinous crimes ever and deserve condemnation for it. But everyone else will portray them as such, Capote paints them as what they are, complicated human beings. Disturbed? Yes, but still very much human.
The way he tells the story, from the day before the crime, the investigation afterwards, the whereabouts of our 2 killers, and their subsequent trial and execution - it all flows incredibly well. With little time dedicated to most of the characters, he’s able to paint a full picture in who these people are. You sympathize with almost everyone involved, entrancing readers with intricate details in how they act.
This is described as the first nonfiction novel and I truly can’t help but think of it as anything else. Factual in it’s story and narrative, but still subjective in how he handles certain characters. Just incredibly brilliant. The type of book that makes me question how I can write anything nearly as good as this.
Fans of crime, whether fictional or true, need to get their hands on this book. And anyone who cares about great literature should give it a read.
Stoner by John Williams
“You must remember what you are and what you have chosen to become, and the significance of what you are doing. There are wars and defeats and victories of the human race that are not recorded in the annals of history. Remember that while you’re trying to decide what to do.”
This (seemingly) indie darling in the literary classic space has taken the book community by storm and I’ve been curious about for over a year. And now I’m happy to say that the hype behind this book is justified.
The best thing about this book is its prose and it might be one of my favorites I’ve read this year. It’s simple yet elegant. The writing feels poetic in that it enthralls the reader to journey through this simple, seemingly ordinary, human story at a almost a feverish pace. Our titular character doesn’t do a whole lot, in fact, some might argue that this man lived like an ‘NPC’ (as the youth say). But it’s literally the opposite; William Stoner stays true to himself despite setbacks and hardships that would’ve changed any other character. You can’t help but admire a man who thoroughly lived life on his terms and no one else’s, even if it seems uneventful.
Great books have a certain rhythm in their pace. I can’t exactly describe it but it feels like music to me. Where every paragraph, chapter, flows so easily to the next. Stoner feels like it was effortlessly written, which is of course incredibly difficult to pull off.
Yeah everyone is recommending it now, which means contrarians will shy away from it. But if you want to not only join the conversation, but to experience great literature, this is the book for you!
On the Abolition of All Political Parties by Simone Weil
“Political parties are organizations that are publicly and officially designed for the purpose of killing in all souls the sense of truth and of justice.”
I wish I had read this years ago as it could have saved me a few years in reaching my current political belief.
In this essay, Simone Weil argues the inherent evil that lies within every political party. How they seem to only serve a certain concept of the public interest. How they exploit collective passions for it’s own gain. And ultimately how they divide its citizens through ostracization and the suppression of truth; all for the obedience of the party above all else. I could share over a dozen quotes on the matter, but you’d be better reading it yourself!
Whether you are staunchly for your political affiliations or against the entire concept of one, there is something to take away from this short essay.
What have YOU read during the month of November? Have you read any of the books I read? Let’s talk about it!
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Fully agree on Eileen and In Cold Blood. Thankful I was made to read ICB in school; might need to do a re-read soon
Alright, I guess I’m reading Stoner lol