I want to start this off by saying thank you for approving this eARC for my review.

This book definitely made me uncomfortable, I have a feeling that was the intent. Honestly I think this just wasn't the book for me, my primary genre of choice is Fantasy, so this was very far out of my comfort zone, and I think I might have to crawl my way back over there!

My primary feedback on this text is that there was description of Moon's neck, that I found to be quite frankly, gross - the line in question: "Long and smooth, it implied the snug containment of a fundamental muscle that ran down the body all the way to the groin, where, I imagined, it boldly flipped out as the penis". YN (Kindle Locations 72-73).

Additionally there was heavy repetition of the word "capitulate".

I have people that I'd consider recommending this to - those who this book would align with their tastes more than mine! Otherwise, closer to the date of this books official release I will put out a general review on TheStoryGraph.

Loved this, incredibly up my alley. I can most immediately compare this novel to the work of Bae Suah, not just because of the German and Korean settings (though I'm sure the comparison was influenced by that) but because of the aimless wandering (yes, there's a goal being chased after here, but the result is still very much one that emphasizes stumbling upon people to interact with), vaguely magical-realism quality of it all (other writers that came to mind: Sayaka Murata, especially Earthlings; An Yu; Samanta Schweblin. Even a bit of A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, what with the sort of meta exploration of writing being influenced by the outside world and vice versa). Every character in Y/N is tinged by the off-kilter environment they exist within, leading none of them to act or speak like real humans so much as strange elements of that environment. Of course, this environment can be said to be somewhat of a construction of the main character's psyche, as before she falls deeply into her obsession, there's some sense of normalcy. With time, though, interactions become more stilted and strange, and each of these interactions along the way is delightful, with some combination of humor and nicely earnest determination coming through. A hell of a lot actually happens in this novel, with the main character jumping from one situation to the next fairly briskly, but the style in which it's written turns even these fairly solidly defined events into something with a natural flow, one with the edges between moments made fuzzy.

It's impressive that this novel is able to explore this parasocial spiral in a way that doesn't come off as trite. I can imagine a million ways that such a concept could be poorly executed. I think what makes it especially work in this novel is how psychologically tuned it all feels. This doesn't really take place in the real world, but on a stage that serves primarily to reveal aspects of our character's mind. The aspects of writing being a merging of reality and personal self with obsession and desire are well-done, and there's something bold about even the title of this novel, which borrows from the Y/N character the main character is writing about - a "your name" self-insert originating from fan fiction boards. How much of ourselves are we meant to place in what we write? How much of ourselves are we meant to place in what we read? Again, questions that feel vaguely reminiscent of the aforementioned Ruth Ozeki novel, although explored in an utterly different way.

Although I mentioned a handful of comparisons, this novel is wholly unique in subject matter and style, and Esther Yi instills a very particular voice. I will absolutely find myself on the lookout for whatever she puts out next.

I really enjoyed this original book. I’m not sure what I was expecting but I really enjoyed the narrative and the main character. I found the story to be incredibly interesting and two immediately draw the reader into it.