Unfortunately, for me, AS YOU WISH was a good example of an interesting summary brought down by poor execution.
The biggest issue I had throughout the whole of the story was the main character, Eldon. He’s...awful. He’s whiny and entitled and frequently mean to people for literally no reason, and not for one minute did I ever want him to succeed or get a happy ending. As you might imagine, it’s hard to enjoy a book when you don’t have any good feelings about the sole narrator.
Additionally, I was uncomfortable with the chapter wherein a person accidentally wished away their sexual desire, and henceforth was presented as an unhappy/incomplete human with no chance at a fulfilling life. What the heck kind of message is that for asexual and/or aromantic readers?! I’m not conflating aromanticism with asexuality, by the way - but it’s not hard to imagine that an author with a skewed perspective on one might not have a great grasp on the other. I don’t think I’ll be reading Ms. Sedoti again.
The biggest issue I had throughout the whole of the story was the main character, Eldon. He’s...awful. He’s whiny and entitled and frequently mean to people for literally no reason, and not for one minute did I ever want him to succeed or get a happy ending. As you might imagine, it’s hard to enjoy a book when you don’t have any good feelings about the sole narrator.
Additionally, I was uncomfortable with the chapter wherein a person accidentally wished away their sexual desire, and henceforth was presented as an unhappy/incomplete human with no chance at a fulfilling life. What the heck kind of message is that for asexual and/or aromantic readers?! I’m not conflating aromanticism with asexuality, by the way - but it’s not hard to imagine that an author with a skewed perspective on one might not have a great grasp on the other. I don’t think I’ll be reading Ms. Sedoti again.