Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story was nothing new - a depiction of a nation's descend into autocracy. Though it came from an interesting perspective - a mother of 4 children, all in different stages of life - the messaging of the book is not novel and very present in current news.
3.5 stars. Well written no doubt, but came across this quote that summed up the book perfectly: 'dystopian fiction is when you take things that happen in real life to marginalised populations and apply them to people with privilege'.
At first I hated the formatting but the farther I got the more I started to love and appreciate the uniqueness of the writing style and how it set the tone. Reading this at the end of week 1 of Trump’s second presidency makes it hit harder and honestly scarier. Like a LOT scarier. Haven’t read a book quite like this one before.
“If you change ownership of the institutions then you can change ownership of the facts, you can alter the structure of belief, what is agreed upon”
“If you change ownership of the institutions then you can change ownership of the facts, you can alter the structure of belief, what is agreed upon”
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I'm glad I persevered
I really struggled with the first third of this book. I couldn't get along with the writing style. (I was listening as an audio book). It was moving far to quickly for me, and I couldn't keep up. One minute it was morning and a character was in the car, then suddenly it was evening, and another location but I was still picturing them in the car. Also, dispite the horrific subject matter, I wasn't feeling anything - I wasn't sad or scared or angry - just numb, confused and board. Bleak was the only word I could think to describe this book. I felt like I was wasting my time, not getting anything from this book. I was also worried that it might just leave me feeling sad and depressed and hopeless. So I decided to stop reading it.
But then I had a conversation about it with a friend who was further through than me. She said she cried whenMolly stopped putting the white ribbons on the tree for her Dad . Another friend pointed out the title "Prophet song" - that sounds kinda hopeful....? They also pointed out that in the written book, although the text is dense, with no paragraphs, there are breaks in text to denote a change in time/location.
So I rewound a bit and carried on listening, and I'm so glad I did. I realised this is a book you have to really focus on, and give it your full attention. It moves fast. Daydream for even a minute or two and you could miss a whole important chunk. I also learned to listen for the pauses in narration - and knew that was the end of a section, and the beginning of a new section.
Suddenly the writing style clicked and I was immersed. I listened to the final couple of hours in one go. I couldn't stop. I feel like I've been battered by huge, terrifying crashing black waves. I felt things - anger, injustice, sadness, loss, frustration.... I cried. Non of these words are enough to explain the shear force of the feelings I felt. It's all so unfair and wrong. The greed...
This was not at all what I was expecting when I started this book. I realise nowit starts in normal, everyday modern life, and just descends into more and more chaos and disorder. I think I always thought there would be a bit of "action" then things will return to normal. Life as they knew it just kept unravelling more and more. What a few chapters ago seemed awful, suddenly seem like bliss!
Things will never be the same again for these characters. They have lost almost everything-Eilish has lost her husband, 2sons, possibly her father, her house, her street, her job, her community, life as she knows it. Her daughter has lost her childhood. In the final pages there's an insightful line where it talks about how although the baby/toddler won't actually mentally "remember" what he's been through, he will still intuitively "know", this experience will mark him and he will carry it with him for ever
I found the passage:
"She whispers to him though there are no words for a child this age, no explanation for what has been done and yet what the child will never recall from memory will always be known by him and he will carry it as poison in the blood."
I liked the bit when they are locked in that room, with strangers, waiting to cross the boarder - when they are at their most scared and desperate, how they pull together - figure out a system (and a queue!) for the food. How they create order, and help and support each other
I think possibly what made this so hard hitting is because they were a family I could identify with. It could have been in my neighborhood, my city, my country. Whilst this is a work of fiction, events like this are actually happening in other parts of the world as I type. It's absolutely sickening, terrifying.
The final chapters reminded me of American Dirt
This was a difficult and painful read, but I think a very important one.
____________________
Almost DNF'd ~⅓in
This is not for me. It's bleak and depressing, terrible things are happening, yet I feel nothing. No sadness, terror, empathy, fear.... just boredom, and bleakness. I can't get into the writing style. It moves to fast for me. I suspect I'm missing a lot of the details. I want books that make me feel things. I currently want (need?!) positivity, hope, joy, within a book. I don't think, at the moment, I have the time, attention, or energy that I think this book requires to really understand it.
I really struggled with the first third of this book. I couldn't get along with the writing style. (I was listening as an audio book). It was moving far to quickly for me, and I couldn't keep up. One minute it was morning and a character was in the car, then suddenly it was evening, and another location but I was still picturing them in the car. Also, dispite the horrific subject matter, I wasn't feeling anything - I wasn't sad or scared or angry - just numb, confused and board. Bleak was the only word I could think to describe this book. I felt like I was wasting my time, not getting anything from this book. I was also worried that it might just leave me feeling sad and depressed and hopeless. So I decided to stop reading it.
But then I had a conversation about it with a friend who was further through than me. She said she cried when
So I rewound a bit and carried on listening, and I'm so glad I did. I realised this is a book you have to really focus on, and give it your full attention. It moves fast. Daydream for even a minute or two and you could miss a whole important chunk. I also learned to listen for the pauses in narration - and knew that was the end of a section, and the beginning of a new section.
Suddenly the writing style clicked and I was immersed. I listened to the final couple of hours in one go. I couldn't stop. I feel like I've been battered by huge, terrifying crashing black waves. I felt things - anger, injustice, sadness, loss, frustration.... I cried. Non of these words are enough to explain the shear force of the feelings I felt. It's all so unfair and wrong. The greed...
This was not at all what I was expecting when I started this book. I realise now
Things will never be the same again for these characters. They have lost almost everything-Eilish has lost her husband, 2sons, possibly her father, her house, her street, her job, her community, life as she knows it. Her daughter has lost her childhood. In the final pages there's an insightful line where it talks about how although the baby/toddler won't actually mentally "remember" what he's been through, he will still intuitively "know", this experience will mark him and he will carry it with him for ever
"She whispers to him though there are no words for a child this age, no explanation for what has been done and yet what the child will never recall from memory will always be known by him and he will carry it as poison in the blood."
I think possibly what made this so hard hitting is because they were a family I could identify with. It could have been in my neighborhood, my city, my country. Whilst this is a work of fiction, events like this are actually happening in other parts of the world as I type. It's absolutely sickening, terrifying.
This was a difficult and painful read, but I think a very important one.
____________________
Almost DNF'd ~⅓in
This is not for me. It's bleak and depressing, terrible things are happening, yet I feel nothing. No sadness, terror, empathy, fear.... just boredom, and bleakness. I can't get into the writing style. It moves to fast for me. I suspect I'm missing a lot of the details. I want books that make me feel things. I currently want (need?!) positivity, hope, joy, within a book. I don't think, at the moment, I have the time, attention, or energy that I think this book requires to really understand it.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated