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bookalook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Dementia, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and War
anniereads221's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
alexiab's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I love the way Blake Crouch tells these stories with these different types of multiverses, how completely different and yet similar this book was to Dark Matter with the weaving together science fiction and an overarching story of fate and resilient love. it makes me question so much of our reality and the threads that tie us together, and I love to feel my brain melt when I think about it.
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Dementia, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
readingwithmeredith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
kmayatte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
lynnmarier99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
powkaye's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
A complicated read that can sometimes be repetitive but compelling narrative keeps you engaged.
There are some dark, disturbing moments so be aware going in it’s not a book for kids.
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Death, and Car accident
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
keen'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
This is not a story I would ordinarily read. What hooked me in was the inclusion of memories and reality twisting in on itself, which was all I knew of. It took me a while to realize I was reading about tropes I generally disliked. Afterward, I found I didn't care. The story was that good. Saying what those tropes are will spoil the book, however.
When I finished Recursion, I couldn't believe it was only 327-pages long. There are arcs in the book, going from Book One to Book Five, with breaks in between each arc. The method of splitting up chapters was annoying when I needed to refer to previous chapters, but only because Kindle didn't list the sub-chapters. Aside that, it made total sense to me as I read. I could swear I read a series of books, not just one. 327 pages didn't seem nearly enough time to get me this attached to the characters while throwing so much information to me. I'm surprised I even managed to understand such complicated information. Blake Crouch was very good at showing the complexity of the science in fiction, while making it sound believable and understandable to a layman. I truly felt how much research and care he put into the story.
Another compliment to his writing: he is amazing at describing senses and emotions, something necessary to make the reader believe the story. His descriptions of the five senses surprised me by noting experiences I don't even notice in my own life. I wouldn't even think to include it in my writings. When he described grief, it made me want to cry. When he described happiness, my heart ached. I'm a fan of philosophy, and there's tons of it here. The end had me reflecting on what I value in life, how I treat my relationships, and my view of the world overall. Plenty of conversational topics for my therapist, haha.
Part of me did find myself frustrated by the end, believing the main characters had made strange and annoying decisions... until I realized that, if put in their position, my grasp on logic would have long since been shattered. If anything, they stayed extremely intelligent and resilient considering the situation they've been through and were in.
By the way, the audiobook is amazing. Great narrators who breathed extra life into already lively characters.
Spoiler warning for small details I've noticed:
"Recursive" was used about two times in the book, iirc. I'm very surprised that the snake eating its tail, or the ouroboros, was not mentioned at all. If it was, I missed it. I actually thought the front of the book was an ouroboros until I realized it was an infinite figure 8 with a maze within.
Also, I'm not sure if this was intentional, but I liked that Helena's middle name is Gray. Just like dead memories.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
janeycanuck's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Drug abuse, Dementia, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Car accident
colleenward_'s review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I had so many questions during the mid point of the book (probably bc BLAKE CROUCH)... but I loved that the ending felt ~complete~
I found the overall premise of this story to be super interesting! It felt very creative throughout, especially how things kept *almost* aligning but never quite making it. I would say to definitely experience this book in the way you best experience them (whether that be reading, listening, etc.), because there are some technical parts and explanations of the plot that can get confusing if you drift away!
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Dementia, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Vomit