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lkreps's review
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Stalking, Sexual content, and Physical abuse
ceallaighsbooks's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“We’d all like to keep the impressions we just gathered, keep the hope we had and the interest we took in our surroundings; we’d like to be like that all the time and every day, but by the time you get home, that’s all snuffed out. In you go, in you go, creature who dwells in the stationary box, in you go, clutching your withered posy…”
TITLE—Peaces
AUTHOR—Helen Oyeyemi
PUBLISHED—2021
GENRE—literary fiction; train mystery. Oyeyemi’s writing defies narrow categorization but can often demonstrate similarities to the following styles: surrealism, fabulism, horror, fairy tales & mythology retellings.
SETTING—a train journey through England/Europe
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—mental illness, trust, relationships
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BONUS ELEMENT/S—The exploration of mental instability and neurodivergency in this book was Oyeyemi’s most nuanced and insightful and thought provoking exploration yet.
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The train was there, and we were there, and so we kept saying things like “This is it,” and “Here we go,” as if trying to place verbal reins on the momentum of it all.”
Oyeyemi is my favorite writer. (It is also officially creepy AF how I manage to read the exact right Helen Oyeyemi book at the exact right time in my life that it is most relevant to me. 😂) My favorite things about this novel were its setting on a bizarre somewhat magical-seeming train, and the fact that while a strong supernatural energy permeates the story, it is never truly clear whether that is because some otherworldly power is REAL or if its a construct of the characters’ minds, perspectives, or situations. Basically, as @somersetxnorth(on IG) recently put it, “if you like your mystery with a dash of WTF, Oyeyemi’s your girl.”
I also liked the exploration of the nature of relationships in this book and the importance of connection and trust and truly “seeing” other people and how relationships influence identity and self-image as well. After her gorgeous writing and creepy themes, Oyeyemi’s profound philosophical explorations is another of my favorite things about her work.
Oyeyemi’s writing is definitely not for everyone so don’t feel bad if I’ve recommended her to you and you ended up not enjoying her work. 😂 I do think that she is at least worth a try though because she is just *such* a unique and imaginative (and yeah, genius, basically ☺️) writer that if her writing *is* for you then you definitely don’t want to be missing out.
FWIW: I disagree with the claim by some reviewers that this is a work of absurdist literature—possibly a commentary on absurdism to some degree but not absurdist itself.
“…I assure you—yes, you—that you’ll get through this, whatever it is, and everything will be better. We both know nothing’s all right, but when I tell you it will be, you take it. If you don’t, it’s because you’re holding out for another outcome altogether.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW // mental illness, gaslighting, paranoia, stalking
Further Reading—
- everything else by Helen Oyeyemi
- The Seed Collectors, by Scarlett Thomas
- Lost, by Gregory Maguire
- I think this book also kind of reminded me of some of Milan Kundera’s books but it has been so long since I’ve read them I can’t be sure which one/s I’m thinking of...
- train mysteries...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Physical abuse
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