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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An incredibly well-researched WWI historical fiction, with supernatural elements mixed in that don't feel entirely out of place in a time period where spiritualism and seances had captured the popular imagination and were widely practiced. Arden does a good job of keeping the war the central horror though, rather than the ghosts of the lost and wandering dead, and is at her best when weaving the terrible, mud-soaked details of the trenches and field hospitals near the front lines into a narrative that makes them feel horrifyingly real and present to the reader. I also enjoyed recognizing elements of the real time period sprinkled throughout, including references to popular poetry like 'The Lady of Shallot' and a central character who mirrors a well-known trench poet, even sharing his first name.
A primary theme of the book revolves around the eho and what of the old world can survive in the new modern one after the seeming apocalypse of WWI which burnt away the structure and decorum of the old world, creating a sense of unmooring often associated with a 'lost generation'.The story's remedy for living in the cold, impersonal, often cruel systems of the modern word is meaningful human connection (though it's not always enough for everyone). The only way to somehow move forward from horror is together, side by side, anchoring one another in an unfeeling universe. Isolation breeds shame and despair, love creates the glimmer of hope to muddle through and the courage to lean into an uncertain future. We become the constants, the vital context, for each other when all of reality shifts.
A primary theme of the book revolves around the eho and what of the old world can survive in the new modern one after the seeming apocalypse of WWI which burnt away the structure and decorum of the old world, creating a sense of unmooring often associated with a 'lost generation'.
"The whole world is made up of systems now. Systems that are too big for any one person to understand or control or stop. Like the time tables. Alliances, philosophies... And so now we're here, even though no one wanted to be."
"Why did God let it happen," whispered Pim. "I tried to understand, all those days in Hallifax after Nate passed, and I heard Jimmy was missing. I'd go to church and tell myself that God has a plan for each of us, but how can we know?"
"I don't know," said Laura. She wouldn't blurt out the heretical thing she was actually thinking. What is God if not another system? (8:46:20)
"It was so much easier to hate a man than a system, vast, inhuman, bloodstained." (10:34:50)
"Freddy knew what she was doing, he felt a surge of jealousy. He'd chosen the new world, chosen Vinta, chosen Laura, chosen the wasteland of his life with whatever green shoots he could coax out of the parched terrain of his soul. He saw that the woman had made the other choice, to go into the dark with the stranger and allow herself oblivion. For a second he regretted, for a second he almost called to Faland, His whole heart twisting suddenly with longing. Faland watched him, waiting. But Vinta's arm was tight around him, and Laura was leaning on him from the other side, and they were all anchoring each other in the madness, and he couldn't have broken that connection, not for anything." (10:46:00)
Recommended follow up media to read/watch after reading this book:
- The poetry of Wilfred Owen, including 'Dulce et Decorum Est'
- Film: They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
- 'The Lady of Shallot' by Alfred Tennyson
- Paintings by Otto Dix
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
dark
emotional
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not my usual style. Took ages to get into in. I really enjoyed the last 1/4 but apart from that i found myself not wanting to pick it up. It didn’t grab me.
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Liked but didn’t love! I’ve read quite a few WW2 books, but not so many WW1 books so it was fascinating and heartbreaking to delve into such a brutal, muddy environment.
I truly adore Katherine Arden’s ability to heighten reality to just dip her toe into magical realism. What a bloody piece of business.
I truly adore Katherine Arden’s ability to heighten reality to just dip her toe into magical realism. What a bloody piece of business.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes