Scan barcode
charlieanne313's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lika7m's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
unlikelyprotagonist's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
Well-written character study but despite the amount of time spent in the main character’s head, she still felt like a stranger at the end. Even worse, the plot suffers from the same abandonment that Iris did.
Not for me, but I’m curious to read more from Sauma.
Not for me, but I’m curious to read more from Sauma.
meeenk's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bcnvolio's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
davidb71's review against another edition
5.0
This is a stunning novel. I loved it. It's the story of Iris, a 30-something Londoner, unfulfilled in her corporate job and unhappy in her personal life, who takes the opportunity to escape her life on Earth and start again on a new planet, Nyx, accessible through a newly discovered wormhole. The thing is, it's a one-way journey, with no way back, so going there means permanently leaving behind your family, friends, everyone and everything you've ever known or loved.
This is a sci-fi type of premise, but this isn't really a sci-fi novel - so if you're looking for a hard science fiction book, this might disappoint you. This is a literary, contemporary novel, encompassing all kinds of themes and ideas. It's written in the first person from Iris's point of view, and on some level it's a character study, on others it's a commentary on modern corporate life, life in a big city, the nature of identity, self, family, relationships, love and loss, trauma. It's a slim novel, but for me it encompassed lots of themes and ideas, lots of stuff - it felt thematically and emotionally rich.
I thought this was a beautifully written book, with crystalline clear prose, flowing, crisp and evocative; I loved the way it was written. But even more than that, what made me truly love this novel was how emotionally engaged I felt with it: I felt like I lived this novel, experienced it. I felt the pain, the yearning, every emotional beat; I felt like I was there living it. I found it an extremely moving book, powerful and profound, and meaningful to me personally in a way that is rare. Others may not connect with this as completely as I did, but for me, on every level, I thought this was an absolutely stunning novel.
This is a sci-fi type of premise, but this isn't really a sci-fi novel - so if you're looking for a hard science fiction book, this might disappoint you. This is a literary, contemporary novel, encompassing all kinds of themes and ideas. It's written in the first person from Iris's point of view, and on some level it's a character study, on others it's a commentary on modern corporate life, life in a big city, the nature of identity, self, family, relationships, love and loss, trauma. It's a slim novel, but for me it encompassed lots of themes and ideas, lots of stuff - it felt thematically and emotionally rich.
I thought this was a beautifully written book, with crystalline clear prose, flowing, crisp and evocative; I loved the way it was written. But even more than that, what made me truly love this novel was how emotionally engaged I felt with it: I felt like I lived this novel, experienced it. I felt the pain, the yearning, every emotional beat; I felt like I was there living it. I found it an extremely moving book, powerful and profound, and meaningful to me personally in a way that is rare. Others may not connect with this as completely as I did, but for me, on every level, I thought this was an absolutely stunning novel.
westcdf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
serainaaaaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don’t think that this book is a five star read for everyone but I read the right book at exactly the right time. I absolutely loved the mix between the description of Iris’s life on earth and the sci-fi part of the story.
eggerlee's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0