Goblin reviewed Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Hazel Plante
so good!
5 stars
What writing! How can a book about grieving so be so much fun? How can the author make passages about buttplugs feel so poignant?
The book is not just about coping with grief. The book also beautifully paints a portrait of trans femme friendships and relationships.
The book is full of references to other media, many of them real and many of them fictional. It's worthwhile to follow the real references, the author has good taste.
A note on how to read the book. It's written in the form of an encyclopedia about a fictional TV show. Everyone I've talked to read the book in order. I didn't. I tried to go linearly at first, but only got as far as "B" and then chose a chaotic journey through the encyclopedia following references or just reading what looked good to me. I still saved "Z" for the end. I have …
What writing! How can a book about grieving so be so much fun? How can the author make passages about buttplugs feel so poignant?
The book is not just about coping with grief. The book also beautifully paints a portrait of trans femme friendships and relationships.
The book is full of references to other media, many of them real and many of them fictional. It's worthwhile to follow the real references, the author has good taste.
A note on how to read the book. It's written in the form of an encyclopedia about a fictional TV show. Everyone I've talked to read the book in order. I didn't. I tried to go linearly at first, but only got as far as "B" and then chose a chaotic journey through the encyclopedia following references or just reading what looked good to me. I still saved "Z" for the end. I have no regrets about my choice, but I am told the book is also good to read in ABC order if that's your thing.