Reviews

Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch

rlbeaton's review

challenging hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

janeaustentatious2's review

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

mrmysteryfox's review

3.0

Not really sure what to make of this book. I was expecting more of a dystopian tale about a future where most of the world was submerged. There are threads of this but then a few other narratives and ideas as well all centred around a girl that can travel through time via the flow of the water. Altogether a strange collection of different threads that I’m not really sure where they were meant to end up. The idea of freedom runs throughout all of the narratives though which feels like a key link between all the characters looking for their own freedom in their world.

hallzy46's review

challenging inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I had a feeling Thrust was gonna be at the very least interesting, if not a little quirky based on reviews I had read, but I did not expect just how much depth this thing has. At its core, the novel is an immigrant story revolving around the construction of the Statue of Liberty, including perspectives from the sculptor himself, his lover, post-Civil War black laborers, Native ironworkers, and Irish expats. The main character is a Siberian-Lithuanian immigrant girl from a dystopian 2080s society who uses supernatural powers to traverse the flooded waters of Brooklyn and travels through time to experience and influence these immigrant stories by pulling objects and even people through the flow of time. Given this framework, the novel uses this a jumping off point to explore topics like history, ecology, ancestry, climate change, language, foster care, motherhood, liberty, freedom, sensuality, pain, pleasure, and more. The book is also obsessed with bodies (physical bodies, bodies of water, bodies of work) in service to the central idea that America is a nation that has killed, maimed, and subjugated the waves of bodies of immigrants that have built its foundations throughout history. This bevy of topics spins a compelling web that leads to a story that is somehow chopped up on the surface yet never gets away from itself, managing to find its thematic center every time.

Now, I will say that there is a bunch of weird sex stuff (including detailed BDSM scenes and incest), which I have been trying to avoid lately given how criminally horny some authors are (I'm looking at you Murakami), but this book gets a pass because of how well constructed it is and how well executed its central themes are. I will almost certainly be revisiting Thrust in the future, it's an engaging and thought-provoking novel.

beccatb's review

5.0

The most compelling and beautiful novel I've read in a while. A portrait of America as it is, was, could be. I can't believe I didn't know about Lidia Yuknavitch before now. Also 10/10 cover.

brandiereadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

illymally's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

I love it when an author can take some risks and challenge the reader's disbelief while staying in control. For the majority of the book, she does, and it's brilliant! I think the last 40 pages needed a little more cook time.

babyjwaters's review

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

molesworth's review

4.0

It feels silly to write, but I wanted this to be queerer. There was so much great stuff here, but why stick to a majority of cis man + cis woman sex? In such a wild ride of a book, the hetero sex felt exceptionally boring.

jayruby's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0