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jn_gardiner's review
5.0
An exceptional book. Daring, magnetic, and will stay with me for a long time.
grace_griff's review
3.0
it was kind of hard to get through, i love the concept and i did enjoy the story but it’s not something you can read as an audiobook and idk it just too much brain power. very very cool concept tho
erikalej's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
ninadb's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
jamatkinson's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pina's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘Bunch of us think the world’s overloaded with information.’
Alice returns to Australia after sixteen years. A reluctant return to Fraser, a city she hardly recognises, but Alice has no other options. She stands outside her family’s house, a 1950s brick veneer, and knocks. Lydia opens the door to her sister. Upstairs, Lydia’s sixteen-year-old son George lives in his own world most of the time. George creates digital objects for video gamers and chooses not to speak.
‘The edges of the city expand and contract. Colours change. It’s hard to distinguish what is real and what isn’t.’
The sisters occupy a common physical space but psychologically they irritate each other. Alice left when Lydia was pregnant with George, and this is the first time she has returned. Lydia knows that there is something wrong with Alice, while Alice wants Lydia to engage more with the world. Lydia retreats into games, into comfortable controllable (mostly) artificial realities while George works on a virtual world and tries to find his own space.
But the appearance of Alice draws unwanted attention. And on top of the agitation and uncertainty experienced by people, the city of Fraser is changing. Streets disappear, houses move, people are discombobulated, tensions rise. Conspiracy theories abound, amplified by confusion and internet accessibility.
‘The world was impossible to comprehend. People were impossible to understand.’
Brilliant. A shape-shifting city, messages through art, virtual worlds which are more constant than the real world. A story (or stories) about the environment, about people, connections, change and place, unfolding over five parts.
Jennifer Cameron- Smith
Alice returns to Australia after sixteen years. A reluctant return to Fraser, a city she hardly recognises, but Alice has no other options. She stands outside her family’s house, a 1950s brick veneer, and knocks. Lydia opens the door to her sister. Upstairs, Lydia’s sixteen-year-old son George lives in his own world most of the time. George creates digital objects for video gamers and chooses not to speak.
‘The edges of the city expand and contract. Colours change. It’s hard to distinguish what is real and what isn’t.’
The sisters occupy a common physical space but psychologically they irritate each other. Alice left when Lydia was pregnant with George, and this is the first time she has returned. Lydia knows that there is something wrong with Alice, while Alice wants Lydia to engage more with the world. Lydia retreats into games, into comfortable controllable (mostly) artificial realities while George works on a virtual world and tries to find his own space.
But the appearance of Alice draws unwanted attention. And on top of the agitation and uncertainty experienced by people, the city of Fraser is changing. Streets disappear, houses move, people are discombobulated, tensions rise. Conspiracy theories abound, amplified by confusion and internet accessibility.
‘The world was impossible to comprehend. People were impossible to understand.’
Brilliant. A shape-shifting city, messages through art, virtual worlds which are more constant than the real world. A story (or stories) about the environment, about people, connections, change and place, unfolding over five parts.
Jennifer Cameron- Smith
wtb_michael's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
fast-paced
4.25
This is bold and strange and compelling in incredibly interesting ways - glad I finally read it