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novantithesis's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
3.75
It’s good for what it is. Kind of literary and not straight forward in the storytelling. Probably a more enjoyable read if you’re into a weird mysterious musing on how we existing with one another than if you’re looking at the genre info and the blurb and thinking it’ll just be a fun fantasy adventure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, and Violence
emma_bean's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
A very intriguing read that will stick with me for a long time. This book would hold up well to thorough analysis.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Violence
Minor: Animal death
cheye13's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I need to reread this. Immediately. I have no clue what this was.
Like with Gingerbread, I found myself reeling trying to follow the frame structure and construct a linear timeline, but because it's written with such whimsy and spirit, I relished the challenge. This one clips right along – while I was trying to decipher one metaphor or meaningful event, we'd popped on to the next one. I do really think there's something here – about memory, personhood, legend... something. But it slipped through my fingers on this first read.
And yet it was just so fun and frightening and funny (Otis's narration made me laugh out loud more than once) that once I finished it, I wanted to flip right back to the beginning.
Like with Gingerbread, I found myself reeling trying to follow the frame structure and construct a linear timeline, but because it's written with such whimsy and spirit, I relished the challenge. This one clips right along – while I was trying to decipher one metaphor or meaningful event, we'd popped on to the next one. I do really think there's something here – about memory, personhood, legend... something. But it slipped through my fingers on this first read.
And yet it was just so fun and frightening and funny (Otis's narration made me laugh out loud more than once) that once I finished it, I wanted to flip right back to the beginning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Mental illness and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
content warnings are approximations, as it's hard to separate literal from figurative. animal death cw for brief descriptions of/about taxidermy.leah_alexandra's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
This book did very little for me. There just wasn't enough substance to keep me going along with the more whimsical/fantastical elements. A book like this, that's slightly untethered from reality, still needs to have actual stakes, but this one did not. I was looking for something a little more sour or haunting beneath the surface. This was kind of reminiscent of an Italo Calvino story, but without the heft. The ideas coming into play at the end were just too little, too late.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Violence
for_esme_with_love's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
5.0
I'm currently working my way through everything Helen Oyeyemi has written because she is absolutely brilliant. Peaces follows an eccentric couple and their pet mongoose on a fever-dream of a train ride through the English countryside during which they encounter mysterious figures from each of their past. At times it's a wacky romp of absurdity and at others an insightful meditation on relationships - the people who stay in our lives as well as those who cease to be real as they fade into the stories we tell ourselves about who we were when we knew them. The casual queerness and decentering of whiteness throughout are the cherry on top that have cemented Peaces as one of my all time faves.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
The violence is mostly absurd bordering on cartoonish. The death is not of a major character.rorikae's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.5
'Peaces' by Helen Oyeyemi is a slightly surrealist story about lovers who are gifted a trip aboard a train for their honeymoon nothoneymoon.
Told through the eyes of Otto Shin, we follow him and Xavier Shin, as they set off on a train trip that was gifted by Xavier's aunt. The strange thing about the train is that each compartment is its own themed room and there doesn't appear to be other people aboard the train. But then they catch a glimpse of a mysterious woman and begin to learn that there are other forces that have caused them to be on this particular train at this time.
As always, Oyeyemi's writing is evocative and lush. She creates a fascinating tale that weaves through the present on the train and the past that has led our main characters to their destination. One of my favorite pieces is in the middle where the story switches to letters for a portion and we dip into the differing perspectives of each of the characters. At its heart, this is a story about the attention that we do or do not give to others and the impact that it has. It's a bizarre story but effused with lots of heart and fascinating characters. I'm always intrigued by what new and fascinating story Oyeyemi will tell next and I feel much the same after reading her latest work.
Told through the eyes of Otto Shin, we follow him and Xavier Shin, as they set off on a train trip that was gifted by Xavier's aunt. The strange thing about the train is that each compartment is its own themed room and there doesn't appear to be other people aboard the train. But then they catch a glimpse of a mysterious woman and begin to learn that there are other forces that have caused them to be on this particular train at this time.
As always, Oyeyemi's writing is evocative and lush. She creates a fascinating tale that weaves through the present on the train and the past that has led our main characters to their destination. One of my favorite pieces is in the middle where the story switches to letters for a portion and we dip into the differing perspectives of each of the characters. At its heart, this is a story about the attention that we do or do not give to others and the impact that it has. It's a bizarre story but effused with lots of heart and fascinating characters. I'm always intrigued by what new and fascinating story Oyeyemi will tell next and I feel much the same after reading her latest work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
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