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smurfette_9 t1_j1dost6 wrote

I love it when no quotations are used for speech, like the sally rooney books and also girl, woman, other. It makes it feel like it’s more quiet or muffled or something. I love the effect.

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moeru_gumi t1_j1eu8iu wrote

I’m the opposite, which is fascinating. I feel like it’s poorly constructed and egotistical, like the author thinks so highly of their prose they think it’s poetic, and are just pooping it out onto the page without editing or any concern for how the reader will have to do a lot of work to determine who’s talking. It feels like a very intimate stream of consciousness straight out of the author/narrator.

I react very badly to this, because rather than reading a story, I feel like either I’ve been handed a journal of the author’s personal thoughts or they are just talking directly into my face endlessly. I find it an imposition to have to figure out what’s dialogue and what’s just internal narration/description. And an author who wants me to do that much work must think very highly of themself and who do they think they are?

It’s fascinating that you like it, it really shows that style is so personal.

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Perfect_Drawing5776 t1_j1hmso8 wrote

I think the only book in this style that I’ve loved is The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey. Fascinated by the picture on the cover of Ned’s armor, I read his letters first and that made all the difference. I’ve no idea how Carey stayed in character but he mimicked Kelly’s style so beautifully. Don’t think I’d make the effort to reread but it’s an amazing work.

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Cygnusasafantastic t1_j1e0f43 wrote

Agreed, it lends a certain appealing subtlety to the dialogue that makes it feel more organic, like watching a movie scripted by David Mamet. Cormac McCarthy is master of this in case you’ve never checked him out.

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