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/ Sunday 22 October 2017 @01:39 /

it's all love
all love that I'm thinking of,
the fury of, the triumph of,
the madness of,
          love. 

Here Come The Dogs - Omar Musa


I'm writing this post today to talk about the novel Here Come The Dogs. I am absolutely enamoured by it.

Sometimes when I talk about the "type" of guys that I like, I always say something along the lines of someone who can appreciate books, tv, movies, etc. in the same way I do but also someone who has a similar upbringing to me (that first generation australian, immigrant parents, low key ghetto, refugee hustle life yo). Or in kind of simple terms a USYD student combined with people from my high school. I don't know if it's just me and the kind of people I attract but I feel like I don't know many people like that. I bring this up because I feel like this novel encompasses this perfectly. The novel jumps from prose to poetry. The book starts with "where are these cunts?" and also explores themes of race, gender, family, love, dare I say, belonging and discovery. 

There is something so raw and so no bullshit about the novel that really speaks to me. I can't say that I relate directly to the experiences of the characters, but the core issues and the way its presented, resonates deeply with me. The novel is centred around three different men and I think what makes this novel, well for me at least, is that these men are people you grew up with, people you work with, people you know from the local cafe you go to- they feel so real and that's what I love.

And as much as I love killer characters, the book is very poetic- as in parts of it are literally poetry too. But the way Musa writes, it's the type of stuff that you wish you had said yourself or want to throw into your instagram caption because that's how beautiful it sounds (or maybe that's just me AHAH) ALSO as much as it is beautiful, it does explore some real issues that are bound to make people uncomfortable and I think it's that contrast between beauty and discomfit that really makes the book stand out. It's easy to be disillusioned by beauty but the book really lays down the reality of the situation and it is really jarring at times but I think that's life right?

Throwing it back to an old post I made about people and contradictory features (props to u if u rmbr), I spoke about how all people have sides to them seem like they conflict with how they normally are but that's just part of who they are- and more broadly what it means to be a human. Like we aren't restricted by rules- you can enjoy both Bodak Yellow and Black Pink and there is nothing wrong with that (sounds like someone I know???).

Again, where am I going with this?? Well, to me this novel is like that with the so called contradictions. You don't expect a book that uses the word "cunt" to be heartbreakingly poetic, but it is. To be real and to be true and to speak on things that might be controversial or problematic is beautiful. I don't fuck with meaningless ~aesthetics~ and I think that's why I'm so obsessed with this book. The book has a real "fuck it" attitude and I'm all for it. 10/10 would DEFINITELY recommend.

((is it obvious that I just wanted to talk about bc nobody else would listen to me rave about the same shit over and over again))





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