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spavento's review
3.0
It was an odd reading experience. The events and voice of the first third really threw me off. I honestly wasn’t really enjoying it until Xavier’s story about the Go players on the train, then I enjoyed it more and more until Yuri showed up, at which point it kind of plateaued. I loved the letters when we finally got to dig into the mechanics of what was happening. So many cool things going on, I just felt kind of hampered by the rocky start. I remember thinking “Of course you’re all connected: you’re in a novel together.” I didn’t feel grounded in the beginning
h_reads's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Very strange and hard to wrap my head around at times. Not sure the ending really confirmed any of my speculations. I enjoyed Oyeyemi's writing as usual, but the subject matter is the strangest of all the books of hers I've read.
arlucadamo's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cpskee's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.25
Much more fantastical than excepted and I’m not sure I quite understand what happened… ghosts? the importance of being seen and understood? this book was a bit all over the place…
tobeobia's review
3.5
good god. peculiar, to say the least, and yet the ending is exactly as i’d expect it to be.
i can’t say i understood this book. i didn’t have enough information and i take that as intentional on the author’s behalf. i have some ideas that aren’t fully-formed, and i think that’s exactly what she meant to give us. it feels as though we are meant to co-create the story with her based on what we have. i am not a person who enjoys doing so, so i simply accept the story as-is — it was enjoyable despite the absurdity! absurdity done well, i’d say. if only i could understand the unseeing…
i can’t say i understood this book. i didn’t have enough information and i take that as intentional on the author’s behalf. i have some ideas that aren’t fully-formed, and i think that’s exactly what she meant to give us. it feels as though we are meant to co-create the story with her based on what we have. i am not a person who enjoys doing so, so i simply accept the story as-is — it was enjoyable despite the absurdity! absurdity done well, i’d say. if only i could understand the unseeing…
afantasysky's review against another edition
3.0
Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi is a very surreal book and I'm honestly not that sure how I feel about it. Otto and Xavier (and their pet mongoose) have been gifted a honeymoon (but not a honeymoon) trip on The Lucky Day (a transformed former tea smuggling train). Everything is strange from the get go and as things progress they stumble upon a mystery that ties in with their own lives.
It's all vibes and even absurd things are taken as commonplace. What really drew me in was the stories about the main characters and the few other people on the train including the owner who they are not meant to talk to. Those stories really drew me into the mystery that was set up and I really enjoyed the middle portion of the book.
Unfortunately, the resolution didn't really answer any of my questions and I think just gave me more. I ended the book feeling confused and unsure. From chatting about the book in my book club, those that loved it didn't think the mystery was the point, and they enjoyed all the questions and how the book made them think.
I think I can only recommend this book if you would be there for the wonderful prose and vibes and don't mind being confused. If you can live without answers and closure to an intriguing mystery - do pick this up, it was an interesting time. However if not, you'll probably be disappointed by the ending like me.
It's all vibes and even absurd things are taken as commonplace. What really drew me in was the stories about the main characters and the few other people on the train including the owner who they are not meant to talk to. Those stories really drew me into the mystery that was set up and I really enjoyed the middle portion of the book.
Unfortunately, the resolution didn't really answer any of my questions and I think just gave me more. I ended the book feeling confused and unsure. From chatting about the book in my book club, those that loved it didn't think the mystery was the point, and they enjoyed all the questions and how the book made them think.
I think I can only recommend this book if you would be there for the wonderful prose and vibes and don't mind being confused. If you can live without answers and closure to an intriguing mystery - do pick this up, it was an interesting time. However if not, you'll probably be disappointed by the ending like me.
pagesofash's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
theeuphoriczat's review against another edition
3.0
It is most definitely an ambitious undertaking and I have to concede that the author accomplished. I just seem to not be the perfect audience for this book. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book but the process of reading it is not one that I would repeat.
At first when I was reading this book, I kept thinking 'What the Actual F*ck am I reading?' but then I realised that I was asking the exact right question. This is a surrealist journey of search, love, identity, companionship, ancestry, family relationships and more.
Set in a compartmentalised train heading to an unknown destination (which we find out at the end) is Otto and Xavier who are on a Journey (a nonhoneymoon honeymoon) which was a gift. The more they explore the different compartments/cabins, the more they notice strange things; from a woman either screaming of help or shouting hello to strange documents, to a long time resident of the train Ava. The only way I can describe the train is that it hade multiple worlds and lived experiences as compartments, from markets, to past experience, it was the whole circus. I think that the train ride represent the different stages, people we meet, experiences we create and employ for our gains and development - I could also be interpreting it all wrong....
At first when I was reading this book, I kept thinking 'What the Actual F*ck am I reading?' but then I realised that I was asking the exact right question. This is a surrealist journey of search, love, identity, companionship, ancestry, family relationships and more.
Set in a compartmentalised train heading to an unknown destination (which we find out at the end) is Otto and Xavier who are on a Journey (a nonhoneymoon honeymoon) which was a gift. The more they explore the different compartments/cabins, the more they notice strange things; from a woman either screaming of help or shouting hello to strange documents, to a long time resident of the train Ava. The only way I can describe the train is that it hade multiple worlds and lived experiences as compartments, from markets, to past experience, it was the whole circus. I think that the train ride represent the different stages, people we meet, experiences we create and employ for our gains and development - I could also be interpreting it all wrong....