I have such mixed feelings about this book. There were so many things I liked, and I was enthralled and wanting to know what happens all the way through, but ultimately I was disappointed in both the overall unfolding of the story, and in the ending.

What’s really interesting about this novel is the way nothing’s quite clearly “good” or “bad” in my opinion, but more of a mixed bag (hence my overall mixed feelings). This is a fast-paced read, written in quick vignettes that read more like short stories at times. The writing style is often absolutely beautiful, poignant, and heartbreaking. Yet just as frequently it’s overdone, pretentious and comes across as though the author’s simply trying too hard. This is the kind of book you know has to be written by an English major eager to show her skill with a turn of phrase.

You’ve read this story before: star crossed lovers from opposite sides of the track come together and fall in love despite all odds. There’s nothing new here, though the 80s setting adds some interest to an otherwise predictable theme. And while Elise and Jamey are well-developed, most of the secondary characters come across as caricatures. Though colourfully described, the rich are stereotypically selfish, self-absorbed, pitiful creatures moving through their luxury penthouses and looking down on everyone. The poor are desperately hopeless, embroiled in domestic violence, filth, and misery. It’s clear Libaire wanted to show just how wide the chasm is between these two classes, but we all know this, don’t we? The message was so heavy-handed, as though there was no room for grey in a very black and white world.

I enjoyed visiting New York in the 80s, though I was hoping for more… balance, I suppose. In this book, NY comes across as dirty, decrepit, violent and despairing. I read a review of White Fur that mentioned this book is a “love story to New York”, but I didn’t feel that way at all. It read more like a cautionary tale, a seedy documentary about a place you should avoid at all costs.

Finally, we come to the ending, which I found extremely disappointing. While I thought Libaire cleverly twisted the reader’s expectations based on the foreshadowing she’d done in the first chapter, I expected so much more. But then again, I expected more from the plot as a whole. Instead, the story meandered, and ended up nowhere in particular. ( )

‘’I’ll do anything in the world for you.’’

Elise and Jamey meet in New Haven in 1986. It doesn’t matter whether theirs is ‘love at first sight’ or not. The bond swiftly developed between them defies such a mundane expression. They move to New York, fighting every prejudice and courageous hostility imaginable. As we follow a year of their relationship, we witness how her strength and determination unite with his naivety and moments of weakness, forming one of the most memorable couples in Contemporary Literature.

Jardine Libaire has created a beautiful, edgy, tender dance in the streets of New York during the delirious decade of the 80s. Politics, social unrest, racial issues, the nightmare of AIDS, the chasm dividing the residents of Tribeca and Upper East Side and the homeless veterans begging for spare change, forgotten by everyone. Two young people are struggling for the right to love each other in peace. When you recognise that Love is the only force that can help stay afloat in the ocean of unadulterated shit, then hope is not as unattainable as we might think.

Sometimes, the Big Apple is better off asleep…

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ ( )

I was really looking forward to White Fur, especially after I saw it was a Book of the Month pick. I usually trust their picks and was excited about the book and the time period the book took place in- the 80s! I lived in NYC in the 80s and was so excited to revisit that time period.

I preface the review with that because there was something that bothered me right from the very beginning of the book. The book takes place in 1986-87 in NYC. It is about the wild love affair between Elise and Jamie. Their romance is going to go badly, as we know from the first chapter and because their affair starts off so strongly. Elise is a bit possessive of Jamie, in that when they are dating and she sees he takes another woman home, she destroys his car. Jamie is a bit casual with Elise, but loves having sex with her.

This is where I had my tiny problem. It is 1986-87, in NYC, as I keep typing. This is the height of the AIDS epidemic in NYC. The phrase- No glove, no love is created and being used. Yet, in this book, sexual encounters are still taking place as the casual 70s. In 86/87, there was a major paranoia in NYC about AIDS and it isn't even a topic for Elise and Jamie. It would have been difficult to avoid in Manhattan in the late 80s. I know, I lived in Brooklyn at the time and AIDS education was all over the place. The two of them have a primarily sexual romp.

I thought it was a well written book and loved the style of writing. I could see some being a bit uncomfortable with the book's contents as it gets steamy and gritty at times, but I liked it. I didn't love it, but I liked it.

I gave it 3.5 stars.

I wish to thank Blogging for Books for the copy to read for review purposes. ( )

I loved that this book starts off with a sneak peek of what is happening near the end. It made it all the more intriguing and I couldn't wait to find out how and why Jamey and Elise had gotten to that point. If the ceiling had fell on my head I doubt I would have been able to stop reading.

This was not your usual love story. It was gritty, raw, almost painful at times. Jamey Hyde was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, where as Elise Perez grew up where spoons were something people used to cook their drugs on before shooting up. To say they were opposites is an understatement. Jamey has had everything handed to him and Elise has had nothing. When they first meet Jamey is embarrassed for her, and later when he starts dating her (if you could call hiding away for hours at a time having sex "dating") he is embarrassed by her. Yet somehow they are just meant to be.

I received an advance copy for review ( )

tags to add: rich/poor ( )