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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Moving examination of identity
I really enjoy North's books, and this didn't disappoint. She examines what the meaning of identity and society are when you only live through the bodies of others, or live the same life repeatedly, or are a person no one can remember, as is the case with this book. Good tension and world-building as well as interesting philosophical questions.
I really enjoy North's books, and this didn't disappoint. She examines what the meaning of identity and society are when you only live through the bodies of others, or live the same life repeatedly, or are a person no one can remember, as is the case with this book. Good tension and world-building as well as interesting philosophical questions.
The whole concept of this book and the style of writing was so interesting!
The Sudden Appearance of Hope has so much to offer, and does so in spades. Mystery and thriller - absolutely. Existential Angst - in heaps and piles. Metaphor? Yup, there if you take a minute to think about it. So.Much.Metaphor. Well written characters you think about and a plot that moves along to a satisfying conclusion. Yes and yes. Read this. It would have been an amazing book club book.
"The Sudden Appearance of Hope" defies easy categorization and explanation. I picked it up based on how much I enjoyed Claire North's earlier book "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August." The novel is shockingly violent and seriously beautiful. It's a commentary on social media with some magical realism thrown in. It's not really like anything else I've read and, although I was not entirely satisfied with the ending, I would definitely recommend it.
Very intriguing concept and a plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. Docking it for the ending - I felt like it fizzled a bit and I wasn't quite happy with where it ended up, but overall super fun reading experience and really trippy to try and wrap your head around the idea of being forgotten. I thought Hope was a super interesting voice. Maybe there will be a sequel??
This was a tough one. I did not enjoy the book much but I think it was the writing style I struggled with. I don’t think that means this is a bad book, it just wasn’t the book for me.
Hope can't be remembered - that's the idea in this one, the bit that the rest of the story revolves around. You could meet her, have dinner with her, and once she's left your sight, your hearing for a minute or two, you forget and your mind fills in that blank with whatever's most reasonable - you dined alone. Hope is many things - chief among them a thief. An interesting point - since she can't have relationships, she isn't a lover, a friend, an employee, she is free (cursed?) to define herself. Her ethnic backyard, dark skin and hair, have helped form her worldview, but North doesn't let her become a stereotype. Since she isn't bound by other people's expectations, she has her own code, her own disciplines that allow her to live a pretty comfortable life. She's a thief, but when we meet her, she's a high-end jewel thief. She works on her own, with a bit of help from people on the darknet - her digital footprint isn't forgotten.
Her latest score brings her into contact with Perfection, an app designed to make people "perfect," and the people who own/designed it. Perfection is fascinating and disturbing, a look at how marketing and self-image can be/have been affected by the technology that has become an intrinsic part of most of our lives. (Where's your phone right now?) And, even worse, the potentials when things are taken a stop or two further. I feel like with Perfection and some of the consequences, we just barely cross over into the land of sci-fi, the kind of sci-fi that could easily enough happen in the very near future.
The book is a bit slow in the middle, but I enjoyed the side trips into literature and history and all the knowledge Hope has acquired over time. I like the words and the spaces and her reflections. She really only has herself to talk to - yes, she can have conversations with people, but unless it's recorded, they'll forget.
The Sudden Appearance of Hope is like two stories that weave in and out of each other. In one we have hope and her daily life, her interactions, her musings, her near brushes with the law. The other is a suspenseful thriller involving Perfection and a woman who is bound and determined to destroy it with Hope's help, whether given willingly or not.
Her latest score brings her into contact with Perfection, an app designed to make people "perfect," and the people who own/designed it. Perfection is fascinating and disturbing, a look at how marketing and self-image can be/have been affected by the technology that has become an intrinsic part of most of our lives. (Where's your phone right now?) And, even worse, the potentials when things are taken a stop or two further. I feel like with Perfection and some of the consequences, we just barely cross over into the land of sci-fi, the kind of sci-fi that could easily enough happen in the very near future.
The book is a bit slow in the middle, but I enjoyed the side trips into literature and history and all the knowledge Hope has acquired over time. I like the words and the spaces and her reflections. She really only has herself to talk to - yes, she can have conversations with people, but unless it's recorded, they'll forget.
The Sudden Appearance of Hope is like two stories that weave in and out of each other. In one we have hope and her daily life, her interactions, her musings, her near brushes with the law. The other is a suspenseful thriller involving Perfection and a woman who is bound and determined to destroy it with Hope's help, whether given willingly or not.
Mehh.. As Hope is soon forgotten, in my case so shall this book be.
Horrible pacing. A great premise which is left unexplored. A plot which starts as interesting and ends up being predictable and extremely long drawn out.
Horrible pacing. A great premise which is left unexplored. A plot which starts as interesting and ends up being predictable and extremely long drawn out.
It feels very much near future now, with the contemp paranoia of old-fashioned cyberpunk. Only instead of plugging in, it's all apps, etc. I liked the layer of the inability of Hope to be remembered. When it came up, various difficulties in her life were thought-out. However, the story as a whole is something else- the memory bit both a way to advance the story and motivation, giving this story a much more well-rounded feel than either one alone. More of a heist thriller than SFF except for the way Hope can't be remembered.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I do not get the point of this book.