I ended up really enjoying this one. I see people questioning if it's a thriller, imo it is. It's a psychological thriller more so than a crime or drama one. It leaves you in suspense about their mental states and what will happen with the volatile relationships that Eriko and Shōko have. You don't know how it's going to escalate, which is where the thriller aspects come in. A thriller doesn't need to be a ton of action to qualify imo.

The book is a critique on a lot of the societal cages women in particular find themselves in, whether self-imposed or not, and how they navigate through loneliness. Each character represents a different manifestation of loneliness and while the characters are exaggerated, I think a lot of people can relate. It also touches on the parasocial relationships people have online and how that contributes.

Overall, it made me think and I love when a book does that.

One of the blurbs for this book states "It is brutal, relentless, and so amazingly bleak that it's often quite funny" and I think that sums up the book well. Its title also gives some clues to the plot, as with the tango, your footwork eventually brings you to the same spot and the cyclical nature of life is one of the key points.

I really had to take my time with this one. I ended up loving it. The second person POV was really good. It dropped hints about who the narrator was early which made you wonder and look for clues throughout the book. It ended up welding together perfectly with the narrative of Julia. I definitely recommend it, it is certainly bordering on weird fiction but it was so well done

A little predictable at times but the cosmic horror is certainly there

I enjoyed this one since it does make you think. Rand attempts to create the idea of a capitalist utopia, one that doesn't crush competition but encourages it, treats people on fairness and not any other demographic, and I think she was on the right track but it falls vastly short when implemented in practice like most ideals. She is staunchly anti-corruption, however the issue is that corruption and greed don't simply go away. You can push for a perfect world but humans are imperfect. The idea of safety nets shouldn't be discounted entirely and are a reality many people face at no fault of their own, despite what the media wants to push. Are there also looters? Absolutely. And because this dichotomy exists, it's what makes it next to impossible to create a system that encompasses absolutely everyone. Under corruption, no one wins, and she acknowledges this, however the idea that a meritocracy will eradicate this issue is, imo, short the same way that the idea of equalizing everything will. Until human nature changes, neither ethical capitalism nor communism is possible long-term as history has shown.