Emma Cline

This book is fine. It's shocking and appalling maybe if you've never had to survive instead of live; several of the reviews seem to find prostitution and sugaring to be something that young women do to men rather than something men do to young women, which is interesting. Alex's moral core is definitely eroded from having to do whatever she needs to do to survive, but the entire point of the book is that these bratty rich people project onto the blank slate she provides without giving any deeper thought to her personhood. The most interesting part of the story is the contrast between Alex's cunning survival skills and the naive mistakes she makes because she's still so young.… (more)

Alex is gross. I suppose she can rationalize her prostitution. Maybe a touch of sociopathy. I don't know what it is that drives her to ooze into people's lives like a leech. Sucking up what she can and leaving behind a trail of slime. Another reviewer said it was had to look away, and it is. She's such a trainwreck and so off kilter that it's fascinating to watch her pick up on cues that allows her to pick situations to insert herself into. I assume nothing will change for her and she herself will not change given the ending. She's sucked back into the original scenario, but we don't get to see how that will turn out. I kind of wish she'll get kicked to the curb but hard.… (more)