Boy Parts

This book was very intense, and I had to sit with it after finishing. Irina feels like Patrick Bateman if he were a feminist. Throughout the story she is highly unreliable, and we only catch glimpses of reality through text messages, emails, and her friend Flo’s blog.

Irina is a bartender/ photographer who has lost her purpose. She is angry and hurt, constantly pushing her pain away and assuming everything she does is devoid of meaning beyond aesthetics. Yet much of her art and actions are fueled by her relationships, both past and present. She speaks flippantly about her abusive relationship with a teacher, her turbulent relationship with her mother, and the heartbreak of her only somewhat real relationship.

At times she snaps, resorting to the violence she depicts in her art. Irina sees herself as above everything: a master manipulator, shockingly beautiful, and always in control. It often comes across as annoying and difficult to read, but slowly it becomes clear this persona is her security blanket. When she loses control, she falls back into it, and the “boy” always returns.

4.2/5 Stars