Everything You Ever Wanted

I really enjoyed a lot of this, but unfortunately I found it a bit lacking in substantive story. All of the makings are there for a great story, it’s just so few details were fleshed out.

I’m going to try to be as kind as possible. I could not finish the book because I can’t stand the protagonist. I got about 120 pages in and just kept rolling my eyes. I think the part that irritated me the most was the “smog” that is mentioned at least once on every page. I get it, your character is depressed because she works in corporate (like every other person on earth) and thinks she’s special because of that. I know that’s not said but the way the character is written it feels implied. The character will try to be like “no trust me reader, I am happy, but I think of death all the time, use drugs and alcohol to forget, and constantly haunted by memories and anxiety, but I’m happy I just need to go to a different planet” like I can’t believe that you’re happy when all you think about is how miserable you are. Further on the smog, I get that you’re trying to use smog as a metaphor for a thick anxiety that never leaves you and is oppressive and doesn’t let you breathe, however the amount it is mentioned is so incredibly obnoxious I roll my eyes every time I see the word “smog.” Further, I think this author attempted to make this character morally grey but my opinion about well written morally gray characters is that it’s subtle and not in your face, but this character is written in a way where the author seems like they’re trying to throw a pity party for their own character. This novel sort of reminded me of ‘I who have never known men’ by Jacqueline Haprmen, which I just read the other day, but without the absurdism and well written prose. But the thing about that novel is that her morally grey elements are very subtle and the sort of bleak world she lives in is made interesting. But Iris in this novel is bleak in just a bleak way. I think a big issue with very contemporary novels is that a lot of millennials are writing their characters with mental health issues but without much dimension and it falls flat. The thing is is that the premise is very interesting and I would like to know what happens but I just can’t because I’m so bored and irritated. Also what is with the constant mention of Jewish people? I don’t understand and I don’t believe the author is Jewish correct me if I’m wrong, it just comes off as weird, not necessarily prejudice, but just strange. Perhaps I’m being unfair in how I’m rating since I didn’t finish, perhaps I will finish at a future date, but for right now I’m too irritated.