Today's Mini Monday review is for At Certain Points We Touch by Lauren John Joseph. I was kindly sent a digital copy of their latest release via NetGalley, so thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to read. Normally, these posts are spoiler free, but I can't figure out how to talk about this book without discussing potential spoilers. It's now out in the UK in hardback and kindle editions.
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| Taken from Google Images |
Plot
It's four in the morning, and our narrator, a trans writer living in Mexico City, is walking home from the club when they realise that it's February 29th – the birthday of the man who was something like their first love. Piecing together art, letters, dirty DMs and memory, they set about trying to write the story of a doomed love affair that first sparked and burned a decade ago.
Ten years earlier, and our young narrator and a boy named Thomas James, long aware of one another across bars and readings and other murky late-night gatherings, fall into bed with one another over the summer of their graduation. Their ensuing affair, with its violent, animal intensity, its intoxicating and toxic power play, will initiate a dance of repulsion and attraction that will cross years, span continents, drag in countless victims – and culminate in terrible betrayal.
A riotous, razor-sharp bildungsroman, narrated with caustic wit and deep sorrow, At Certain Points We Touch is a story of first love and last rites, conjured against a vivid backdrop of queer London, San Francisco and New York - in all their colour, struggle, decadence and resilience.
Taken from Goodreads.
What I Liked
One of the few things that I liked about this book was how diverse the characters were. Our main character was trans, there were various sexualities represented, characters from all over the world and different backgrounds. I don't think I've ever read a book so diverse as this. Sadly, this is where my glowing praise for the book ends as it was basically the only thing I liked about this book.
What I Didn't Like
Which means it's time to talk about the things I didn't like about this book. The main relationship between Bibby and Thomas was beyond toxic. It was abusive. I despised Thomas, he was just an awful character with no redeeming qualities. Bibby was one of those characters that would never do anything to help themselves and would complain about how bad their life was. Having read a little bit about the author, there are similarities between the characters. Both were born in the UK, educated in America and went onto become successful writers in various fields. I just couldn't stand either of the main characters. It seemed they used sex to try and fix their relationship. And it was always quite graphic, brutal sex. Every time there was a sex scene, it was uncomfortable to read. Most of the reviews on NetGalley were four or five stars, and then there was mine at two stars. I probably wouldn't recommend this book as it just wasn't a good book due to the characters, plot and poor writing. Normally, I would refrain from talking about a book so negatively as I don't think it's helpful to other readers and reviewers, but I would not recommend reading this one.
What did you think of At Certain Points We Touch?? Did you have a better reading experience than me??
