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hmatt's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Little thoughts that I'll have every intention to assemble more later but probably will not:
- I like the idea of a narrative created through short stories where some of the stories intersect, but this wasn't pulled off with 100% effectiveness. Maybe 60%. I was really invested in some stories and just not at all interested in others. I think fewer stories could have achieved the same effect, and I feel like the author could have done a bit more to interweave them. Also, I was a bit out on some of the stories that go off the deep end a bit, including the last one (I wanted to think it was cool, but it felt too convenient and also self-indulgent).
- I commend the choice to use an ensemble cast for the audiobook where the narrators were meant to sound like the (sometimes obviously racialized) POV characters, but some of the chosen narrators were, um, not very good at narrating.
- I remain solidly "pro" on pandemic fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Suicide
mel_s_bookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
3.75 stars
An ambitious fusion of short story collection and novel, How High we go in The Dark is creative, beautiful, and inspiring, whilst simultaneously being terrible, tragic, and haunting. It rides a very fine line between being absolutely absurd and eerily close to reality, which makes it even more disturbing than it would otherwise be. Think Black Mirror, but instead of stand-alone episodes, a collection of stories based around the same overarching theme and where characters and connections become loosely intertwined.
When I bought this book, I didn’t realise that it was more akin to a collection of short-stories than a novel, and so I felt a little put off when I got very invested in the first chapter only to find out that the next chapter (and each there-after) was an almost completely different story. For someone who highly prioritises developing a connection to characters, I found this to be a down-fall, however, despite this, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book.
Nagamatsu’s writing is stunning, and I found many quotes that deeply resonated with me. Although I was initially jarred by the use of short stories, I was also very impressed at the way in which these stories were linked together. In saying that, I did find that my enjoyment of each individual story varied greatly. I did thoroughly enjoy most – the themes within were complex and fascinating, and one even made me cry; however, a few were quite boring to me, and I found myself skimming over these.
Despite this not being what I thought I signed up for, this book most definitely left an impact on me and won’t be something that I forget anytime soon.
If you loved Black Mirror, or just generally enjoy Sci-fi, then I highly recommend this. I also recommend it if you like unique and interesting books that are very well written. There are a few trigger warnings for this one though so definitely look those up first!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Animal death and Grief
yooniereads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I would just like to start us off with the fact that this book gave me the emotional catharsis that “A Little Life” couldn’t, and that’s saying something.
Nagamatsu’s anthology is so visceral and heartbreaking because of the expanse of stories you follow through. What I love about this is how he trusts his audience— he doesn’t spoon feed you the whole picture, because he trusts you to unravel it. That factor lends to how palpable and real these stories felt. His use of language is so intentional, and his writing draws you in so easily in the short handful of pages these characters exist in. You root for them, you cry for them, and you definitely feel for them. It’s simply so masterful at that!
And because of how it closes in on how the big, big chunks of history affects an individual, it’s a good thinking piece of how our social reality constructs so much of how we grieve, how we love, and how we feel. And since you’re following these stories through a span of so many years, you see how it affects people from different walks of life: those who lived before the plague, those born during, and even those born after.
This book is certainly existential, and I know I will spend days thinking of and crying over certain lines. That’s what I love about it. It holds up a mirror to our own current landscape and says, “This is what it means to be human.” I highly recommend, and I hope it brings you the same sense of solace it gave me. :)
Nagamatsu’s anthology is so visceral and heartbreaking because of the expanse of stories you follow through. What I love about this is how he trusts his audience— he doesn’t spoon feed you the whole picture, because he trusts you to unravel it. That factor lends to how palpable and real these stories felt. His use of language is so intentional, and his writing draws you in so easily in the short handful of pages these characters exist in. You root for them, you cry for them, and you definitely feel for them. It’s simply so masterful at that!
And because of how it closes in on how the big, big chunks of history affects an individual, it’s a good thinking piece of how our social reality constructs so much of how we grieve, how we love, and how we feel. And since you’re following these stories through a span of so many years, you see how it affects people from different walks of life: those who lived before the plague, those born during, and even those born after.
This book is certainly existential, and I know I will spend days thinking of and crying over certain lines. That’s what I love about it. It holds up a mirror to our own current landscape and says, “This is what it means to be human.” I highly recommend, and I hope it brings you the same sense of solace it gave me. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Medical trauma and Pregnancy
mfallon3491's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
bookbuzzard's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked the idea of an event viewed over time from a multitude of perspectives, but it sometimes felt to me like there was a little too much going on, a talking pig, a rift in someone's head, euthanasia theme parks, a generation ship and an alien that seeded life on earth... it's a lot to keep in one's head all at one time, it doesn't really weave into a complete narrative for me.
This book ended up being a lot more surreal than I had expected, though that was a bit of a relief as it kept me from reflecting too closely on the Earth's current predicaments...
This book ended up being a lot more surreal than I had expected, though that was a bit of a relief as it kept me from reflecting too closely on the Earth's current predicaments...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Physical abuse, Mass/school shootings, and Religious bigotry
tallangryplanet's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was about to give this book four stars because of the way the ending threw me off and I struggled to see how it connected to the rest of the story (for me, it kind of ruined the message I was getting), but the overall reading experience was so good that I decided to give it five stars anyways. It was a very emotional read and I cried a lot, but in a way that was incredibly enjoyable.
How high we go in the dark follows a diverse cast of characters who are all trying to survive through a terrible pandemic and its aftermath, climate change destroying the world, and, most importantly, grief. Grief for the people they could've been, the lives they might have led, the better choices they should've made. All of the stories are connected, but they are unique enough that it truly feels like they represent the diversity of people when dealing with hard times. Even though none of the characters really get that much time, they all feel like real, three-dimensional humans, and it was impossible not to empathize with them.
The way Nagamatsu presents the grim future doesn't seem too unrealistic, especially now that we've seen how humanity really deals with a pandemic. The scenarios depicted really help understand the characters, and it feels as if there is an (excellent) study of grief being done all throughout the book, but not in a way that takes readers out of the story.
As for what I mean about the ending, it's a big spoiler, so feel free to skip this paragraph.In the last chapter, it is revealed there's a sepcies of "superbeings" that supervise the creation of life around the universe, and one of them lives on Earth. She is responsible for the pandemic that destroyed humanity, but also for some great discoveries. This made it feel like the overarching message of humanity's resilience and will to live, explore, and get better was conditioned by someone better than us watching from the shadows, ready to intervene if we were to stray too far off the right path. But as I said, the book is still incredible, and if you lean more towards fantasy the ending might make it even better for you.
All in all, I loved this read. At some points it even reminded me of Record of a spaceborn few by Becky Chambers, which is one of my favorites. If you need something that will make you let out a good cry while picking up your spirits, this is definitely the perfect read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
How high we go in the dark follows a diverse cast of characters who are all trying to survive through a terrible pandemic and its aftermath, climate change destroying the world, and, most importantly, grief. Grief for the people they could've been, the lives they might have led, the better choices they should've made. All of the stories are connected, but they are unique enough that it truly feels like they represent the diversity of people when dealing with hard times. Even though none of the characters really get that much time, they all feel like real, three-dimensional humans, and it was impossible not to empathize with them.
The way Nagamatsu presents the grim future doesn't seem too unrealistic, especially now that we've seen how humanity really deals with a pandemic. The scenarios depicted really help understand the characters, and it feels as if there is an (excellent) study of grief being done all throughout the book, but not in a way that takes readers out of the story.
As for what I mean about the ending, it's a big spoiler, so feel free to skip this paragraph.
All in all, I loved this read. At some points it even reminded me of Record of a spaceborn few by Becky Chambers, which is one of my favorites. If you need something that will make you let out a good cry while picking up your spirits, this is definitely the perfect read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide