GROTESQUELY RAVISHING

Grotesquely Ravishing is a sordid tale of drugs, sex, and growing up in the Midwest. Life comes fast and hard, forcing us to grow up before we are ready, mentally and physically. A parade of experiences chronicles this awkward transition and stop- and- go inspiration. Laying the soul bare takes courage. Perhaps this is why I write. Perhaps I need others to understand what I went through, and how I became the person I am today. Regardless, it’s not for me to say. That task falls on you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Strangely Mesmerizing Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2021 Verified Purchase This isn’t the type of book that I usually go for, but the description had me intrigued, especially having grown up (and still kind of growing up) in the Midwest as well. I found the book to be quite interesting and both familiar and foreign. Familiar with how I can identify with people coming in and out of my life, friends of friends that I knew things about though they never appeared in my life again, strange relationships that went on without really knowing what to do about them. But foreign in the use of drugs and sex, something that was never really a part of my life in this way. It’s fascinating to me to see how similar and different someone else’s life is even though we’re not terribly far apart geography-wise. Aside from the content, the most interesting part of this work is the narration. It jumps from place to place, bringing in people for a page that are never brought up again or are brought up far down the road. It’s confusing and disorienting at first, but the farther in I got the more I realized that that was more lifelike with how people come and go in our stories and how are memories tend to skip around and fade with time. It felt very much like someone sitting across a table telling you the different stories and snippets from their life without too much structure getting in the way, and there’s a certain charm in that.