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harussell's review
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ecs_etera's review against another edition
3.0
At least the first half of this book was excellent, but then it got lost in the swamp. It is an ambitious work, but falls a little short of the bar it set for itself. Often poetic, but more often close to poetic. It is by a South African author, so maybe the ideal consumer of this book is someone more familiar with or immersed in that culture than I am.
jesslaurenrenn15's review
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
maragtzrbooks's review against another edition
mysterious
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
3.0
snoakes7001's review against another edition
5.0
Katya Grubbs is an interesting and likeable character. A tough loner, she makes her living in pest control - relocating rather than exterminating. The removal of creepy-crawlies from places where they are not wanted is a metaphor for the recurring theme of the book. Almost everything and everyone, it seems, is somewhere it shouldn't be.
How she became to be the person she is down to her upbringing and her relationship with her estranged father and we learn Katya's story as the novel progresses.
Recommended if you fancy something just a little bit different.
How she became to be the person she is down to her upbringing and her relationship with her estranged father and we learn Katya's story as the novel progresses.
Recommended if you fancy something just a little bit different.
anetq's review against another edition
4.0
A twisted tale about the life that is crawling in the dark corners, underneath and how the ground beneath you may not be as solid as it seems. Actually it may not be there at all. About bug, rodents, pigeons and all the animals we label pests. And the humans, we regard much in the same way, living in parks and in dark street corners. And the families we love and hate and have complicated relationships with. And houses and cars and life (and lots of caterpillars & beetles).
It is an odd tale of who we are, who we want to be, and how we got there.
It is an odd tale of who we are, who we want to be, and how we got there.
marcatili's review against another edition
2.0
The pitch of this book got my attention: a luxury building estate on the edges of Cape Town stalled because of a swarming insect infestation, and the protagonist, Katya Grubbs, called in to resolve the problem. With a title like Nineveh, I was imagining a struggle of practically biblical proportions.
The book does deliver is a story of nature pushing back against human expansion. It's a story of the ways in which our attempts to claim the natural landscape can be thwarted. Even the most civilised and cultivated of places are an illusion, revealing hidden 'pests' when looked at deeper. This is the setup for another story; that of a woman coming to terms with her relationship with her family and, in particular, her father. Coming to terms with who she is, and how similar she is to the father she has avoided for seven years. Permeation through barriers and walls is a strong theme throughout.
Despite being thematically interesting, the plot itself was a bit slow (despite being a quick read) and the actual infestation doesn't turn up until the last quarter of the book. This left me feeling unsure of where the novel was heading and why it should be interesting. Some of the characters were vivid – Toby and Mr. Brand, even the estranged father when he features in flashbacks – but I did find myself skimming along to get to the end.
The book does deliver is a story of nature pushing back against human expansion. It's a story of the ways in which our attempts to claim the natural landscape can be thwarted. Even the most civilised and cultivated of places are an illusion, revealing hidden 'pests' when looked at deeper. This is the setup for another story; that of a woman coming to terms with her relationship with her family and, in particular, her father. Coming to terms with who she is, and how similar she is to the father she has avoided for seven years. Permeation through barriers and walls is a strong theme throughout.
Despite being thematically interesting, the plot itself was a bit slow (despite being a quick read) and the actual infestation doesn't turn up until the last quarter of the book. This left me feeling unsure of where the novel was heading and why it should be interesting. Some of the characters were vivid – Toby and Mr. Brand, even the estranged father when he features in flashbacks – but I did find myself skimming along to get to the end.
elenasquareeyes's review
2.0
Katya Grubbs, like her father, deals with the unwanted and unappreciated. In contrast to her father’s methods, she is in the business of pest relocation, not pest extermination. Katya’s business comes to the attention of a property developer whose luxury estate on the edge of Cape Town has been standing empty due to an infestation of mysterious insects. As Katya investigates the chaotic urban wilderness of Nineveh she must confront some unwelcome intrusions from her own past.
I found Nineveh pretty hard to get into and at times quite a slow read. It was a very put-downable book, once I was reading I could get through 40 or 50 pages easily but I never felt like I just had to get back to it after I put it down for whatever reason. I think that was maybe down to the writing style, it was quite floaty and dreamlike in some places – especially when something would remind Katya of something from her past.
Katya’s relationship with her father is interesting yet unsettling as he is almost unintentionally abusive towards her and her sister. What happened to them when they were young is abuse but Katya is so blasé about it that it’s very uncomfortable to read sometimes. When you start seeing the similarities between Katya and her father you start to think she will never be happy or “normal” because of such an unusual childhood. They are interesting characters to see bounce off one another but I didn’t like either of them.
That’s the thing with Nineveh, I didn’t like any of the characters. That might be in part due to the fact the book is from Katya’s point of view and she naturally keeps people at arm’s length, even her family, but I didn’t really like Katya much either.
When Katya is in the Nineveh complex, it is an eerie and unsettling place. That came across really well as you were just waiting to discover what sort of infestation the place had and how would Katya deal with it. The problem was there never felt like there was any payoff to what was happening and Katya was just a spectator in her own narrative.
Nineveh just wasn’t for me. Not a lot really happened and I just didn’t like the characters or the writing style. Nineveh as a place was interesting and when the book was set there I enjoyed it more but otherwise it was a pretty dull read for me.
I found Nineveh pretty hard to get into and at times quite a slow read. It was a very put-downable book, once I was reading I could get through 40 or 50 pages easily but I never felt like I just had to get back to it after I put it down for whatever reason. I think that was maybe down to the writing style, it was quite floaty and dreamlike in some places – especially when something would remind Katya of something from her past.
Katya’s relationship with her father is interesting yet unsettling as he is almost unintentionally abusive towards her and her sister. What happened to them when they were young is abuse but Katya is so blasé about it that it’s very uncomfortable to read sometimes. When you start seeing the similarities between Katya and her father you start to think she will never be happy or “normal” because of such an unusual childhood. They are interesting characters to see bounce off one another but I didn’t like either of them.
That’s the thing with Nineveh, I didn’t like any of the characters. That might be in part due to the fact the book is from Katya’s point of view and she naturally keeps people at arm’s length, even her family, but I didn’t really like Katya much either.
When Katya is in the Nineveh complex, it is an eerie and unsettling place. That came across really well as you were just waiting to discover what sort of infestation the place had and how would Katya deal with it. The problem was there never felt like there was any payoff to what was happening and Katya was just a spectator in her own narrative.
Nineveh just wasn’t for me. Not a lot really happened and I just didn’t like the characters or the writing style. Nineveh as a place was interesting and when the book was set there I enjoyed it more but otherwise it was a pretty dull read for me.