"...A Half-Formed Thing

      I have finished it.

     Did I enjoy it? I do not think 'enjoy' came into it--I was moved, horrified, amazed at the language, put off by the language, skeptical of things that happened, full of admiration for the author.
But, I would bet she will never write another book like this.
I will bet no-one will ever try to imitate the language of this book.
It's an amazing tour de force--but, dare I say, perhaps too long a tour with a bit too much force.
It's not just a stream of consciousness--it's a mighty torrent of consciousness, and a torrent rushing down over rocks, breaking up, gushing here and there, falling in waterfalls, overflowing the banks--flooding.

     Here is one of the more extreme passages:

“Don’t I come all mouth of blood of choking of he there bitch there bithc there there stranlge me strangle how you like it how you think it is fun grouged breth sacld my lungs til I. Puk blodd over me frum. In the next but. Let me air. Soon I’n dead I’m sre. Loose. Ver the aIrWays. Here. mY nose my mOuth I. VOMit. Clear. CleaR. He stopS up gETs. Stands uP. Look. And I breath. And I breath my. I make. You like those feelings do you now. Thanks to your uncle for that like the best fuck I ever had. HoCk SPIT me. Kicks. uPshes me over. With his brown boot foot. WitK the soLe of it on my stomik. Ver. Coughing my. Y hard. He. Into the ditch roll in gully to the side. Roll. I roll. For it. He. Turn on the. I. Hear his zip. Thanks for fuck you thanks for that I hear his walking crunching. Foot foot. Go. Him Away.”

     Admittedly, the use of the capitals and misplaced letters is only resorted to in this passage, and perhaps a couple of others. But without those curious juxtapositions, this excerpt is similar to many, many others, some of which run on for agonizing pages. By contrast, there are many almost lyrical passages that are very moving. The ending is pure poetry.

     So I cannot say--run out and buy it, or Kindle it. Get it from a library and give it a try. I expect you'll read it, though some major portions of the subject matter might turn you off. Grit your teeth and continue...