u/Adventurous_Radio_95

​Like the title says, it’s been 6 years and I could never really put into words or explain what I went through with this game. Finishing it triggered this really weird kind of depression, but also a sense of enlightenment. I don’t know if that sounds over the top, but that’s honestly why it still messes with my head. I don’t really think about the game nowadays, and I’m not as obsessed or passionate about it as I used to be, but I still remember what it meant to me.

​Has anyone ever been able to make sense of this? I actually remember joining Reddit specifically to read about other people’s experiences, and a lot of them felt the exact same way. This game pulled me out of a dark place and actually made me want to live and turn my life around, because it showed me a whole new perspective on life. I think it’s probably the wildest reaction a video game has ever given me. I used to cry constantly just thinking about the endings, and, I don’t know, maybe it gave me this beautiful sense of freedom seeing people who weren't just following society's expectations. ​I'd love to go into more detail, but it’s been a while and the experience isn't totally fresh in my mind anymore. Still, I’d really love to hear if anyone else felt the same way.

I like reading different perspectives. it leads to such great discussions. The best part about this book is that everyone seems to interpret it differently, given how morally gray and ambiguous the characters and narrator are.

​No judgment here, so don't hold back. I’d love to read your thoughts, even if I don't agree.

Alright, so… there isn’t really a subreddit for The Goldfinch, but I figured a few people here have read it. I’d love to know what you thought, especially if anyone preferred it over The Secret History. I also just wanted to get some thoughts off my chest.

Honestly, when I finished The Goldfinch, it felt like a little piece of my soul was ripped away. It took me a month and a half to get through since I like to take my time with books, so it ended up becoming a huge part of my daily routine. It’s a brutally beautiful book. Those last few pages just had me staring at the wall, thinking about how beautifully Donna Tartt writes and how she captures a view on life that made me rethink a few things.

The characters are super gray and feel so real. I think that’s one of the best things about it; you can feel each character's distinct voice even without being told who's speaking. Plus, the whole aspect of losing a mother had me crying right from the start because I couldn't help putting myself in his shoes. I wasn't bored for a single second, even though I've seen people say it dragged for them because of how dense it is. Personally, I love slice of life stories where something doesn't have to be happening constantly, and Tartt's style keep me hooked, though I won't argue it could've been a little shorter. It's hard to explain how much this book meant to me. The prose is incredible, and getting stuck in the head of a character with such a rich yet self-destructive mind was something else.

Like usual, when I went on Reddit to look up opinions on a book I loved, I mostly ran into negative takes. That's actually how I found out about the N word being used. I read it in Spanish, so it was completely left out (I only know about Boris using it, which made sense given his character and the context, but I don't know if it came up anywhere else). I also felt like the female characters were a bit flat, or at least didn't get as much depth as I was hoping for. On top of that, some foreign characters felt a little surface-level. I get why in some contexts, but I still wish she had gone deeper with them.

​I haven't read a ton, but I’ve absolutely loved everything I’ve picked up. Even though I have a TBR list, none of them feel like a guaranteed hit for me right now.

​Lately, I’ve been reading Donna Tartt, specifically The Secret History and The Goldfinch. I loved both, especially The Goldfinch, and I’d really love something similar with equally gorgeous prose that dives deep into the aftermath of a tragedy. Some other books I’ve loved over are Babel and The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. I really enjoy historical settings; that overall vintage or old-school vibe, if that makes sense. I also love stories that explore uncomfortable emotions and morally gray characters. Romance isn't really my thing, so I usually try to avoid it, unless it's a small subplot and deals with lgbtq+ characters.

​A few books on my radar are The Picture of Dorian Gray, If We Were Villains, These Violent Delights, and The Sword of Kaigen. But I’d love to expand my options, so any recommendations that match these vibes would be greatly appreciated.