Book Summary and Reviews of Look What You Made Me Do by John Lanchester

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Joanne J. (Franklin, MA)

Structure and Style of Look What You Made Me Do
John Lanchester's densely written novel begins with "Every successful marriage has its own private language, a sentence reminiscent of Tolstoy, which is followed by an allusion to Guy de Maupassant (The Necklace), Mary McCarthy's The Group, and Chekhov's Three Sisters. At one point, the structural allusion resembled Kate Atkinson's in Life after Life and Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Alas, I didn't put all these vignettes together before Lanchester's brilliant reveal. WOW! I loved this book!

Joshua M. (westfield, NJ)

Whose Fault Is It …. Anyway?
Often times, readers uncover meaning within a novel or short story or poem that the writer never expected although the author — surprised by what the reader found — understands how that could be. I don't know if John Lanchester intended his novel, Look What You Made Me Do, as a comment on today's American political theater but that's the way I took it. Actually, I doubt he did — him being English and all. And besides, the novel is placed in London and words like judgment are spelled the English way — judgement.

   Anyway, his novel works on two levels — as an addictive, black comedy and, when you think about it, as a glance at the underbelly of those inhabiting Washington today. I can't say more about the major theme of Lanchester's work without ruining the story. (So I won't.)

   Well-drawn characters populate his novel but none of them likable. Well, maybe one is. Interestingly, the women wear the blacks hats and each tells the story each from her point of view. Kate goes first then Phoebe gets her turn and they alternate throughout the book. Both are self-centered, connivers concerned with controlling the narrative of their intersecting lives.

   While Look What You Made Me Do is a good read, I was bothered by two major plot devices, questioning whether what the characters did was realistic. One of my writing instructors often pointed out that story elements don't have to pass a real-world test, they just have to be plausible for the novel's characters. They are for Kate and Phoebe and besides Lanchester's writing is so good that it's easy to read right past the could-that-really-happen parts.

   When I first began reading the novel, I figured the release timing was perfect because it was a good beach read. But less than half way through I realized Lanchester was slowly, painfully pulling off the bandage concealing a wound infecting the human condition. And he was forcing us to look. Lanchester was longlisted for the Booker prize and has won other majors awards, doesn't write fluff, he doesn't write summer beach reads. His latest novel underscores that.

Whose Fault Is It … Anyway?

Carol_Dirks

Author understands his female characters
Many of the press blurbs on the book cover mentioned the generational conflict. Yes, for the plot to work, the two main characters had to be from different generations. However, what grabbed me most about this book was how well drawn those two main characters were, and by a male author. What they said, what they thought, how they acted, the nuances of their personalities—it all rang true of what a woman in their situation would do. Even the minor female characters, the mom, the best friend, the lawyer, were totally believable. I appreciated the plot twists and turns; Mr. Lanchester story definitely kept me turning the pages. And his wry wit kept me smiling. But it was his spot-on portrayal of Kate and Phoebe that raised this book far above the multitude of other who/why done it's.

Judith_G

Look What You Made Me Do
I thoroughly enjoyed this book for its midnight-dark humor and deliciously dreadful cast of characters. There's not one of them you'd want to make your new best friend, but spending time with them in the novel was definitely entertaining. I had trouble putting the book down and getting on with life. Lancaster can be witty or downright funny while simultaneously managing edge-of-your-chair suspense.

It's nearly impossible to give a sense of this plot or even of what it's about without spoilers, but I'll simply say it's a fine, twisty one and the author plays fair. There are many surprises, but they have been set up subtly. Some bits strain credulity, but not too many, and ultimately, it's such a quick froth of good nasty fun, I didn't quibble or mind that.

The book is told through multiple points of view, and also through a script, a (long) list that made me laugh out loud of one of the character's mother's restaurant dislikes, and different fonts. This sounds confusing, but actually helps keep each character clear to the reader. Also, because you're baffled by the script that appears early on with no author or setting or explanation, you are pulled right into the mystery. And then, you happily stay there.

I'd definitely recommend Look What You Made Me Do.

Catherine_S

Look What You Mad Me Do
I’m not sure I have ever liked a book as much as I did this one while at the same time disliking most of the major characters. Kate and Jack, who we are introduced to first, have been married for thirty years and personify the worst behavior in baby boomers – the kind of people who can’t wait until you turn your back to say something bad about you and entertain “friends” they don’t even like. Kate and Jack's past behaviors are equally troublesome. They share their thoughts in their own often malicious code which has bearing on the evolving plot. Representing in a somewhat stereotypical fashion the millennial generation, are Phoebe and Tony. Phoebe has developed a hit Netflix series called “Cheating” which appears to be created solely to exact revenge, and Tony, her partner, has his head in the sand until it’s too late. Add in the various other characters who are indulgent, mean, inconsiderate and downright criminal, with a twisting, turning and overall surprising plot, and we have a suspenseful, entertaining and fast-moving novel. There are a few coincidences that are a bit hard to believe, but the author doesn’t dwell on those and they seem well-placed and further the plot. As far as I could see, there were no winners in this story. But since I didn’t really care about the characters, it was a more than satisfying read!

Jill_S

Twisted Revenge Story That Grabs You And Doesn't Let Go
Infidelity, vengeance, shame and humiliation, people behaving badly – what's not to like? John Lanchester, who never writes the same book twice, weaves a tale of the times with his new novel that skewers our voyeurism into how other people live their lives.

In this case, the participants are Kate Hittlestone, who, along with her husband, Jack, an architect, enjoy a seemingly successful marriage with its own "body of mythology and folklore and codes…its own world, its own ecology…" Until a hit series appears on Netflix called Cheating, written by a millennial writer named Phoebe. Eeringly, Phoebe seems to know the private language of Kate and Jack's intimate moments (such as "Want your body, disco doll") and special confidences that no one outside of the two of them share.

Could it be that Jack and Phoebe were involved in an affair? But if so, how does the show seem to be so perceptive and blind at the same time? Is there another nefarious explanation at work – and if so, what is it? As the layers of both Kate and Phoebe begin to peel away and we begin to learn more in their parallel narrative, the stakes rise, and the story becomes gleefully twisted.

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