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erinsbooklogue's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.0
dorothynaysayer's review against another edition
4.0
This is a dazzling little puzzle of a book. Wonderfully written, clever, and intellectually stimulating. Emotionally, this book keeps you somewhat at arm's length, but the concept is intriguing, the characters beguiling, and the philosophical puzzle kept me completely enthralled.
maedo's review against another edition
The writing is perfect but the story is going nowhere. I feel like it will take me months to finish at this rate, so it is going aside until I have more patience.
pinacbeth's review against another edition
2.0
at first, i found it enjoyable and compelling but as it ends, it was just getting repetitive.
the prose was also fine but sometimes a little try-hard to be quirky and overly intellectual, too self-aware of its scholarly terminologies
the prose was also fine but sometimes a little try-hard to be quirky and overly intellectual, too self-aware of its scholarly terminologies
matthew_p's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting and well-written. A little strange, perhaps, but I recommend it.
bluestraveler's review against another edition
4.0
A post-modern psychological novel, not quite exciting enough to call a thriller, but a worthy read nonetheless. One day a clinical psychiatrist wakes up to discover his wife has been replaced with a doppelganger (or has she?) and he ends up on a hemisphere-crossing journey in the hopes of figuring out a mystery.
Thematically built around the loss of parents (Rema, the doppelganger wife) lost her father in her youth, according to her he walked out on her and her mother, whilst her mother claims he is a Desaparecido, the book never stating which is true. Leo, the husband and psychiatrist, lost a father at some point in his youth (or maybe never had one, I do not remember exactly) and the book makes it clear his analytic mind has made an effort not to confront these emotions. And hanging over the entire book is the Author's own father, Tzvi Gal-chen, who is a character in the story, and also a loved one that Rivka lost in her childhood. (The book includes several, presumably real, pictures of their family)
The journey taken on the book begins in New York City, before traveling to Buenos Aires and later the extreme southern end of Argentina, as it builds towards not necessarily a climax, but certainly an ending. But most of the journey is spent in the mind of Leo, a scientific man to the extreme, who never doubts his own sanity, even as he begins to believe in an elaborate conspiracy of weather systems and doppelgangers, one that he may have invented entirely on his own. Or maybe not.
Thematically built around the loss of parents (Rema, the doppelganger wife) lost her father in her youth, according to her he walked out on her and her mother, whilst her mother claims he is a Desaparecido, the book never stating which is true. Leo, the husband and psychiatrist, lost a father at some point in his youth (or maybe never had one, I do not remember exactly) and the book makes it clear his analytic mind has made an effort not to confront these emotions. And hanging over the entire book is the Author's own father, Tzvi Gal-chen, who is a character in the story, and also a loved one that Rivka lost in her childhood. (The book includes several, presumably real, pictures of their family)
The journey taken on the book begins in New York City, before traveling to Buenos Aires and later the extreme southern end of Argentina, as it builds towards not necessarily a climax, but certainly an ending. But most of the journey is spent in the mind of Leo, a scientific man to the extreme, who never doubts his own sanity, even as he begins to believe in an elaborate conspiracy of weather systems and doppelgangers, one that he may have invented entirely on his own. Or maybe not.
spoerk's review against another edition
3.0
I have a feeling that this book will somehow make its way into books that I will always remember. But, I wasn't blown away by it.
At the core, this is a book on the significance of coincidence. Does a single passage that stands out to the reader constitute as an oracle? Can those words about a radically different thing actually be a sign from the original author of the passage, to you, the reader?
It's also a book on identity. Who is the person we marry? Who are the people we interact with? The double lives exist inherently; we are never around someone all day, how can we know what others do?
These questions get raised, and of course, never get answered. But you didn't pick up this book for answers anyway. Pick this book up for the questions.
At the core, this is a book on the significance of coincidence. Does a single passage that stands out to the reader constitute as an oracle? Can those words about a radically different thing actually be a sign from the original author of the passage, to you, the reader?
It's also a book on identity. Who is the person we marry? Who are the people we interact with? The double lives exist inherently; we are never around someone all day, how can we know what others do?
These questions get raised, and of course, never get answered. But you didn't pick up this book for answers anyway. Pick this book up for the questions.
selenajournal's review against another edition
2.0
I began reading Atmospheric Disturbances on a whim. It was one of the books featured at my library, vetted for by a librarian. Her book stood out to me because of her psychiatric background and the various awards this debut novel had received or been nominated for.
As a reader, it was clear that Rivka Galchen is an incredibly intelligent woman. Her novel is ambitious, tying together meteorology, mathematics, psychology and love. For Rivka, this novel was also a foray into family history; one of the most spoken about characters in the book is Tzvi Gal-chen, a family member of Rivka’s.
Essentially, it is the novel of Leo Liebenstein and his wife Rema, who he believes has disappeared and been replaced with a simulacrum. This, he believes, has something to do with his psychiatric patient Harvey who believes he is being sent to control the weather. The novel is the hunt for Rema as much as the hunt for the mysterious man Tzvi Gal-chen who somehow ties in to all of this.
The novel begins on a promising note: “Last December a woman entered my apartment who looked exactly like my wife.” However, after the first twenty-five or so pages, it is clear to the reader that Rema is a very normal and fine individual. Instead, it is the proud Dr. Leo Liebenstein who is going insane. What I had hoped would come of the novel indeed did not. I had hoped it would be a science-fiction or experimental fiction piece.
Rivka uses really refreshing short sentences and while beautiful, they kept me an arm’s length from all of the characters. Rema was the closest I came to having emotions, and she was mostly left to the wayside, brought up only as she related to the larger story. But even with her compelling phrasing and masterful sentences, I forgot about this book when I put it down. It was interesting enough when I got back into it but nothing really compelled me to not put it down or to pick it back up whenever I had a free moment.
It took me ages to finish what I would classify as a short book.
In a way, the novel over-reached and left me with no clear direction of where to turn. Clearly, the main character was delusional and going down his own rabbit hole. It seems that if one figures this out early in the novel, it ruins most of the experience.
As a reader, it was clear that Rivka Galchen is an incredibly intelligent woman. Her novel is ambitious, tying together meteorology, mathematics, psychology and love. For Rivka, this novel was also a foray into family history; one of the most spoken about characters in the book is Tzvi Gal-chen, a family member of Rivka’s.
Essentially, it is the novel of Leo Liebenstein and his wife Rema, who he believes has disappeared and been replaced with a simulacrum. This, he believes, has something to do with his psychiatric patient Harvey who believes he is being sent to control the weather. The novel is the hunt for Rema as much as the hunt for the mysterious man Tzvi Gal-chen who somehow ties in to all of this.
The novel begins on a promising note: “Last December a woman entered my apartment who looked exactly like my wife.” However, after the first twenty-five or so pages, it is clear to the reader that Rema is a very normal and fine individual. Instead, it is the proud Dr. Leo Liebenstein who is going insane. What I had hoped would come of the novel indeed did not. I had hoped it would be a science-fiction or experimental fiction piece.
Rivka uses really refreshing short sentences and while beautiful, they kept me an arm’s length from all of the characters. Rema was the closest I came to having emotions, and she was mostly left to the wayside, brought up only as she related to the larger story. But even with her compelling phrasing and masterful sentences, I forgot about this book when I put it down. It was interesting enough when I got back into it but nothing really compelled me to not put it down or to pick it back up whenever I had a free moment.
It took me ages to finish what I would classify as a short book.
In a way, the novel over-reached and left me with no clear direction of where to turn. Clearly, the main character was delusional and going down his own rabbit hole. It seems that if one figures this out early in the novel, it ruins most of the experience.
greta626's review against another edition
5.0
A strange and ultimately sad book about the nature of the end of love, written in precise clinical language that pretends to talk about madness. The metaphor only becomes clear at the end. Galchen is an absolutely stunning writer.