I'm a Fan

By: Sheena Patel

Narrated by: Sheena Patel

Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

I stalk a woman on the internet who is sleeping with the same man as I am.

Sheena Patel’s incandescent first novel begins with the unnamed narrator describing her involvement in a seemingly unequal romantic relationship. With a clear and unforgiving eye, she dissects the behavior of all involved, herself included, and makes startling connections between the power struggles at the heart of human relationships and those of the wider world. I’m a Fan offers a devastating critique of class, social media, patriarchy’s hold on us, and our cultural obsession with status and how that status is conveyed.

In this unforgettable debut, Patel announces herself as a dynamic, commanding new voice in literature, capable of rendering a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences viscerally. Sex, brutality, politics, work, art, tenderness, humor—Patel tackles them all while making the listener complicit in the inescapable trap of fandom that seems to define the modern condition.

©2023 Sheena Patel (P)2023 Random House Canada

Obsessive obsessive obsessive

Too obsessive and sad and I usually like obsessive and sad but this was just too sad.

chaotic, cringe inducing

first of all, I'd like to say; the narrator is fantastic she really captures the unhinged nature of the main character

I enjoyed that none of the main characters have names; however that's about all I really liked

I completely understand that this character is unhinged, neurotic and violent, she's abusive and believes herself to be different however it doesn't seem like her obsessions have a purpose, the author gives us all these interesting threads but doesn't follow up on them;

(minor spoiler)
I wanted to see the character become closer and closer to her obsessions sister, I wanted her to become more physically close to the woman she's obsessed with but it never crosses that line truly

I wanted the relationship between her and the man she wants to be with come to come to ahead; see what would happen as a result of all her messages and see if she'd cross the line to tell his wife, but we don't get it.

at times the writing was just intensely vulgar to the point it felt like the author was just trying to shock, which could be intriguing if the book delved deeper into stalking and the obsession but instead it was just very surface level.

overall, I liked the idea of the book but the execution was lacking for me personally; perhaps I would have liked it more if I hadn't just listened to 'None of this is true' by Lisa Jewell; which has a similar plot but in my opinion, a much more interesting and intense execution, however, if you were reading for the affair aspect of the book then you would not get that in Lisa Jewell's book.

Disjointed story

It was an extremely difficult story to follow and I didn't understand the purpose. The ending was disappointing and didn't provide any clarity.