All very well done, especially the dialogues. All in all, I am leaving this book feeling very empty, which is a positive feeling in a twisted way. I now have to be cautious about reading Rooney's other novels, which seem to weigh differently with other readers.

Bravo, Rooney. 6/6

it's absolutely gorgeous how Rooney portrays nuances of character and human thinking. The question of unconventional love affairs, triangular polygamies, sex and erotic fantasies, and the ways she was able to make a quirky innocuous chess player look like an absolute a**hole to his brother… 6/6

As for the subject matter itself, I found it very impressive how Rooney portrayed brotherhood with uneven playing fields and power dynamics. Some parts resonated at a very, very intimate level -- especially with how she allowed her characters to eventually clash. 5/6

There was context to the thought provided, and this blending of the two made the reading more legible. If I were her editor, I would not have chosen to begin the book with that particular chapter. I would have conned the readers with Ivan's structured thinking and hurled them into Peter's vortex.4/6

Of course, her Irish predecessors in this particular style of writing have gone crazier in terms of how far they pushed things, stylistically and thematically. Still, what is special about Rooney's way of bending language is how accessible she made stream of consciousness to be followed. 3/6

I'm reminded of James Joyce and Eimear McBride, how very spellbound I was going over their lines, breaking so much tradition. Stream of consciousness as a device was always excellent in broaching taboo subjects—exposing the human mind in its rawest format. And somehow, Rooney was able to do that.2/6