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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I have mixed feelings on this book. The book creates a dystopian world where the country has become divided on an issue and is suffering the impact of climate change (eerily plausible and a good setup). We’ve also got a map and you know I love a book with a map. The writing is also good (not great, but good).
Here’s where we start to go off track. There is a lot to address to build this type of world in a believable way and the author simply does not have enough time to do so in this book. For example, Mexico taking over so much land is never explained to us. I also don’t buy (and maybe it’s based on such current events) that only a few southern states separate and that they were able to continue the war so long on their own (what the heck Texas?). Also, I think that religion and race would play a large role in a conflict like this in America and they are not mentioned.
Lastly, this book was sort of exhausting in its plausibility and march to ultimate doom (reminded me of A Burning in this way).
Here’s where we start to go off track. There is a lot to address to build this type of world in a believable way and the author simply does not have enough time to do so in this book. For example, Mexico taking over so much land is never explained to us. I also don’t buy (and maybe it’s based on such current events) that only a few southern states separate and that they were able to continue the war so long on their own (what the heck Texas?). Also, I think that religion and race would play a large role in a conflict like this in America and they are not mentioned.
Lastly, this book was sort of exhausting in its plausibility and march to ultimate doom (reminded me of A Burning in this way).
3.5* I really enjoyed the concept of the book. There were some parts in the middle when I was bored, but the last 80 pages or so really brought it all together for me.
Have you ever read a book that you absolutely KNOW is amazing, but that just isn't the right book for you at that moment? This is why I'm giving this book four stars instead of five - I can tell you that this is an amazing - incredibly amazing and beautiful book. But I did not have the appropriate amount of energy to really dig into this, which makes me sad. Fast forward about 50 years into the future, and America is in the middle of its second civil war - fought between the north and south again, but this time over environmental protections and the limitation of fossil fuels. In the middle of this, one young woman suffers dramatically at the hands of the north, and we learn how a terrorist is made. This is well worth a read.
Well written. This book looks deeply at the impacts of war. Set in a world devastated by climate change and plagues, the violence depicted here is horrifying. The whole story feels close too plausible at this time, even though it is clearly imagined from what is and has happened in many parts of the world.
A book of such deep sadness and loss. There are very few moments of hope and joy here, and it's a scary look into what could potentially be our nation's future. I still found myself wanting some sort of happiness for Sarat, after all the pain and torture she'd lived through. I can't say I understand her final decision because I've never been tortured or broken, I've never had to try to piece together a life when I don't even want to live. I wish she could have been more forgiving with herself; let someone else deliver the virus; brought her brother and his wife and Marcus and gone with them and Ben to Alaska. Lived some sort of life. But she didn't want that.
This is the last of the 2018 Canada Reads books I had to finish, and I definitely put it off until the last, because it was hard to read. But it's also beautifully written and important.
This is the last of the 2018 Canada Reads books I had to finish, and I definitely put it off until the last, because it was hard to read. But it's also beautifully written and important.
I wanted this book to be better than it was. It's a strong concept that begins to explore a lot of important issues through a dystopian lens (and does an effective job on some - climate change for example) but just doesn't quite get there on others. Why no real conversation about race? Why the constant references to Sarat being butch? Meaning behind these things were hinted but never discussed, and - especially when it comes to race - that made this book far less believable.
Ultimately, it's best when exploring the contours of how to create a radical/terrorist in terms of grooming, revenge, trauma, etc., which is a large part of the book's focus. There just could have been so many opportunities to paint a more believable, nuanced picture of the new geography of America, and that missed chance was frustrating.
Ultimately, it's best when exploring the contours of how to create a radical/terrorist in terms of grooming, revenge, trauma, etc., which is a large part of the book's focus. There just could have been so many opportunities to paint a more believable, nuanced picture of the new geography of America, and that missed chance was frustrating.
A novel that dares to speculate what horrors America could inflict upon its own people, if it turned its vast and terrifying arsenal on itself. It's especially telling that Americans can read their own political affiliations in El Akkad's work, betraying how the entire nation is to blame for its capacity and willingness to inflict suffering.
This was a phenomenal and extremely relevant novel! This book was like a modern day 1984 minus the tech/Big Brother aspect and with a specific focus on the US and our North/South cultural divides. The story, themes, writing style, and broader messages were excellent, even if I wasn't a fan of the main character.