Reviews

Redder Days by Sue Rainsford

quesarah's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

chariss's review

Couldn’t get into the story at all. The writing aso didn’t click with me. 

megapolisomancy's review

A remarkable work of art by a writer who knew exactly what she wanted to say, even if the reader isn't actually clear what that was. Whether or not I enjoyed it almost seems beside the point.

lazygal's review against another edition

3.0

Really disturbing book about siblings who are the only remaining members of a commune. The leader prophesied an apocalyptic event that, well, is coming sometime soon. Those afflicted with the Red will be killed, those who are pure will not be. What is this Red? It's never quite clear, but the leader, Koan, continues to exert control over Anna and Adam and their daily lives. And then a former commune member returns, throwing all their ideas into confusion.

There's an undercurrent of menace here, as well as an overall sense of mystery as to how this commune formed and then imploded. Far too many questions are left unanswered, possibly because the writing style leaves the writer very distanced from the action.

evanaviary's review against another edition

2.0

This book was sent from the future to destroy me! Sue's first book, FOLLOW ME TO GROUND, was beautiful and strange; really a delight to read. I can see where the similarities lie in these two books and something that I really admire in Sue's work is her resistance against easy answers. As others have mentioned, she doesn't spoon-feed her readers. She wants us to tread the waters for ourselves and piece together details about the worlds she builds around us. Where REDDER DAYS falls short is that it feels like there's nothing to hold onto. The character and plot developments take a back seat to atmospheric descriptions of the world which never helped me understand the story at a very base level. At times, this felt like a garden maze with no exit. I would've liked more substantial details surrounding the characters and the circumstances of the world; to move beyond imagistic language and have a more precision in the plot. Despite this review, I really love Sue's work. I think she's a brilliant writer with a strong pulse on genre and research-based fiction. I'll read everything she writes; I just needed more from this one.

joy_b's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

ruthie_'s review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

han12345's review

Couldn't finish it, so slowly paced and nothing really happens, I only had about 80 pages left and couldn't manage them

cuntlander's review

dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

jthbooks's review against another edition

5.0

The writing, much like Sues plotting, is so clever. The story at times is so brutal and harsh, but Sue’s writing is so engaging and lyrical that it just keeps you turning the page. It’s such harsh topic but the writing is so lyrical and at times ethereal. The setting feels sparse and empty. Sue captures the atmosphere of this book perfectly. It feels desolate and isolated. This book was like nothing I’ve read before. Sue writes brilliant characters, they were brilliant in Follow Me To Ground and they are just as brilliant in redder days. They are engaging, twisted, damaged and you can’t help but feel for them. But there was also something about the twins, Anna and Adam, that you can’t connect with and it makes them so intriguing. It shows the effects of two children left behind to grow up in a strange, scary situation. And they are so well crafted that and the story is engrossing that every decision they make, makes sense, even if you didn’t want them to make the decision. It’s just brilliant.I can’t recommend redder days enough, as I’m sure you can tell I loved it. There’s no one out there writing these unique stories like Sue Rainsford. Redder days is unique and unforgettable. I’m looking forward to reading this again and getting lost in the world and the glorious writing.Thank you so much to Tabitha at Doubleday Uk for gifting me with a copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review. It’s out March 11th