book log 008: The Subtweet

title: The Subtweet, Vivek Shraya

started: 1/9/22

ended: 1/11/22

thoughts:

- as someone who is terminally on Twitter, much of this book struck uncomfortably close to home. Agonizing over whether or not to engage with someone's posts, HOW to engage with someone's posts, pouring over someone's online activity in an attempt to understand what they're thinking, the moment you realize "hey my behavior is crazy i need to STOP" and only partly succeeding--it's all very familiar.

- this is a story about brown girls (Pakistani and Indian) living in a white country (Canada) but does not really dwell on family, family history, or culturally specific detail. it certainly captures how it feels to live in the diaspora.

- the descriptions of how it feels to perform music, and how it feels to hear a unique, moving voice, are incredible. i love the focus on tactile sensation in relation to an auditory experience.

- ending is fantastic. heartbreaking but also beautifully defiant.