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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
A fantastic read that lived up to the hype. A dystopian novel that doesn't need the explicit violence or fighting for resources or an unforgiving environment to be full of absolute dread. The feeling of loneliness and isolation that Harpman evoked really got to me.
Explores knowledge for the sake of knowledge, especially in the face of a world that wants to keep you in the dark. In the end the knowledge the other women share with her does help the narrator (even as the women who taught her have all died)
The narrator is isolated from the others because she lacks the shared experience and language to relate to the others, the guards do not allow touch.
The several reveals of things that I take for granted that the narrator has never experienced: having a name, looking in a mirror, touch, "Running? I had never run." (30)
Reader knows from the beginning that the narrator is alone but when she finds the bus, we all still hope.
Teared up when the women come across the other bunkers and when she says, "Lord, if you’re up there somewhere, and you aren’t too busy, come and say a few words to me, because I’m very lonely and it would make me so happy.”
Her otherness allows her to mercy kill the other women. When her first kill touches her cheek...
Narrator unable to escape the sound of the whip when it comes to touch and her difficulty holding Anthea during her final moments
I see people complain about not knowing why the victims were being held in bunkers but I think its integral to the story that we are as in the dark as the narrator. Interesting to think of this in light of Harpman's family history of fleeing Belgium during WWII.
The negatives of the book are that there are parts that are a bit slow and the lack of chapters. None of that bothered me enough to give this less than 5 stars.
Explores knowledge for the sake of knowledge, especially in the face of a world that wants to keep you in the dark. In the end the knowledge the other women share with her does help the narrator (even as the women who taught her have all died)
The narrator is isolated from the others because she lacks the shared experience and language to relate to the others, the guards do not allow touch.
The several reveals of things that I take for granted that the narrator has never experienced: having a name, looking in a mirror, touch, "Running? I had never run." (30)
Reader knows from the beginning that the narrator is alone but when she finds the bus, we all still hope.
Teared up when the women come across the other bunkers and when she says, "Lord, if you’re up there somewhere, and you aren’t too busy, come and say a few words to me, because I’m very lonely and it would make me so happy.”
Her otherness allows her to mercy kill the other women. When her first kill touches her cheek...
Narrator unable to escape the sound of the whip when it comes to touch and her difficulty holding Anthea during her final moments
I see people complain about not knowing why the victims were being held in bunkers but I think its integral to the story that we are as in the dark as the narrator. Interesting to think of this in light of Harpman's family history of fleeing Belgium during WWII.
The negatives of the book are that there are parts that are a bit slow and the lack of chapters. None of that bothered me enough to give this less than 5 stars.
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“Perhaps, somewhere, humanity is flourishing under the stars, unaware that a daughter of its blood is ending her days in silence.” 😖
This was genuinely life changing and managed to make me tear up on multiple occasions… </3 the writing was beautiful and intensely immersive in the eeriest way
This was genuinely life changing and managed to make me tear up on multiple occasions… </3 the writing was beautiful and intensely immersive in the eeriest way
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
Severely overrated
Þessi bók var allt örðuvísi en ég hélt hún yrði. Bjóst við feminísku verki en hún var existential dystopia sem fjallaði um svo margar philosophiskar pælingar og spurningar að ég átti í erfiðleikum með að ná utanum þær. Og á enn nokkrum vikum seinna. Tókum hana fyrir í bókaklúbbi og við hefðum getað rætt hana í heilan dag og ekki orðið uppiskroppa með ný umræðuefni.
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No