“Loaded” is a novel that you either love or hate… And I hated it. I really struggled reading this novel as the stark reality is something which is quite foreign to me. Ari could have been a really interesting and thought provoking character, but the way that it’s written, I found Ari to be too unlikable. The story lacked fluidity or any real purpose. Larissa Behrendt was much more articulate in “Home” and I think Tsiolkas lacked that type of clarity and purpose in “Loaded”. I found the story confronting but was at the same time curious about what was to come, and drawn into the story of Ari's self-destruction. The graphic depiction of the physical machinations of his sexual experiences is written without fineness and is almost clinical. I think…show more content… If the author's intention was to deliver a text which would enable greater understanding of his personal context, it certainly succeeds, but as it does that, it undermines the value and to be happy. Pleasure is all through the novel but I didn't find that it translated in any form to the reader. The pleasure seeking in the novel feels almost like a metaphor for our modern life, always searching for the next thing. Ari is constantly searching for the next pleasure, he wants more; more sex, more drugs. However, apart from being poorly written I don't think that the novel presented a realistic picture but rather amplified cultural and sexual stereotypes. I believe the story is meant to make the reader feel uncomfortable as it presents situations that are not romanticised but purposely written to question your own moral fabric. As highlighted by Jennifer, ‘literature cannot speak to all people’ (Syson 22). However I believe that even when the reader does not connect with a text there is still an effect of
