Reviews

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

doddyaboutbooks's review

dark emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0

blemishedhearth's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

pagesofash's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

otakatoe3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Cancer, Abandonment, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Child death, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, Confinement, and Grief

dunforde's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

jennybala's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.0

nrogers_1030's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic

discreetlyred's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

If you need a good cry, this may be the book for you. 

spacem0nkeyyy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

dreaminthepages's review against another edition

4.0

This was an interesting reading experience but overall I enjoyed this short story collection. I think it was so unique and creative and felt the author so cleverly weaved these stories together.

It was interesting to note that all the stories had some main common themes and this was the relationship of death and the grief processes within human society. It was so innovative to share these stories with the backdrop of sci-fi and the future of humanity. Some stories were defo very wacky, some a little too morbid and depressing but there were also many stories filled with a sense of hope and compassion.

I also decided to rate eah individual story seperately so I can remember which ones I liked the most.

• 30,000 Years Beneath a Eulogy - 4/5
• City of Laughter - 4/5
• Through the Garden of Memory - 4/5
• Pig Son - 3/5
• Elegy Hotel - 3/5
• Speak, Fetch, Say 'I Love You' - 3/5
• Songs of Your Decay - 2/5
• Life Around the Event Horizon - 2/5
• A Gallery A Century, A Cry A Millennium - 4/5
• The Used-to-be Party - 4/5
• Melancholy Nights in a Tokyo Virtual Cafe - 3/5
• Before You Melt Into the Sea - 2/5
• Grave Friends - 3/5
• The Scope of Possibility - 4/5

Also forgot to add, the format of these stories really reminded me of episodes of Black Mirror.