Stephanie Danler

I didn't really start enjoying this book until more than halfway through, and even then I crossed the finish line feeling a bit like a rubbernecker. The language felt affected, too poetic (I don't really get most poetry, don't really feel it), and rather than enhancing the story it overwhelmed it. There are entire pages in which nothing happens but many things are described. But, there is a story here. Tess arrives in New York a dewy-eyed, but damaged (aren't we all?) optimist, out to begin her life by getting a job in a restaurant. She doesn't seem to have any ambition beyond that, which I can kind of relate to actually, being a person who really just wants to enjoy going to work every day. But she gets drawn into the bad habits of restaurant life: drug-fueled late nights and inappropriate relationships. She falls for a complicated man and tries to change him-- the classic mistake of the 22-year-old. She goes into a spiral of irresponsible, self-destructive behaviour that ends up forcing her to veer away from her path. Sweetbitter is a good title for this book-- the cheeky inversion is just pretentious enough, and my impression is as mixed.… (more)

For some reason I thought this was a memoir, until I noticed it says "a novel" on the front, whoops. It was short and started out with intriguing descriptions of restaurant life and getting thrown headfirst into NYC living, so I stuck with it. This is pretty plot-less, and honestly I didn't enjoy the second half which focused on the relationships rather than the restaurant. It was still an interesting slice of life focusing on things I have never experienced (NYC life, working in a restaurant), so those were fun perspectives to experience.… (more)