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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
fast-paced
LET THESE QUOTES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES:
"He was fighting too hard and he knew it. A man can't fight always. If he's drowning or suffocating he's got to be smart and hold back some of his strength for the last the final the death struggle." — pg. 50.
"... he was all mixed up again. He didn't know where he was or what he was doing. But he was cooling off. He wasn't burning up any more. He was just light headed and confused and he couldn't figure things out. Everything was a mess but at least he was cool." — pg. 77.
"He had to stop this. He had to stop things from fading away and then rushing back at him. He had to stop the smotherings and the sinkings and the risings. He had to stop the fear that made him want to yell and holler and laugh and claw himself to death..." — pg. 102.
"When you have so little left why should you care if part of it is dying? You lie back. The darkness changes to another shade of darkness. Starless twilight and starless night. Like at home." — pg. 111.
"You had plenty of time to think. You had time to figure things out. Things you'd never thought of before." — pg. 128.
"There's no word worth your life.... Nothing is bigger than life. There's nothing noble in death." — pg. 137.
"He understood insanity he knew all about it now." — pg. 192.
literally, dying, death, all in between, HOLY SHIT.
"He was fighting too hard and he knew it. A man can't fight always. If he's drowning or suffocating he's got to be smart and hold back some of his strength for the last the final the death struggle." — pg. 50.
"... he was all mixed up again. He didn't know where he was or what he was doing. But he was cooling off. He wasn't burning up any more. He was just light headed and confused and he couldn't figure things out. Everything was a mess but at least he was cool." — pg. 77.
"He had to stop this. He had to stop things from fading away and then rushing back at him. He had to stop the smotherings and the sinkings and the risings. He had to stop the fear that made him want to yell and holler and laugh and claw himself to death..." — pg. 102.
"When you have so little left why should you care if part of it is dying? You lie back. The darkness changes to another shade of darkness. Starless twilight and starless night. Like at home." — pg. 111.
"You had plenty of time to think. You had time to figure things out. Things you'd never thought of before." — pg. 128.
"There's no word worth your life.... Nothing is bigger than life. There's nothing noble in death." — pg. 137.
"He understood insanity he knew all about it now." — pg. 192.
literally, dying, death, all in between, HOLY SHIT.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
a harrowing, challenging, and deeply upsetting tale of a man trapped in his own body destroyed in a war with nothing but his slowly fading memories to hang on to. also acts as a remarkably powerful story about the enduring spirit of man, even when you have all the reason in the world to give up.
I cried so much omg. The most amazing thing is that I don't know if this is a sad book with a positive message, a sad book with a sad message, or a book which is supposed to be positive but just turns out to be sad because of its context - my brain is dead.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It feels so cliche to open this review with a line from that amazing Metallica song - you know the One (bah dum psht).
The premise of the novel is simple: a soldier awakens in a hospital and is sensorily cut off from the world. He can't see, he can't hear, he can't taste or smell. All his limbs are gone. He's effectively kept alive only by machines and is trapped alone in the darkness of his mind.
(Landmine has taken my sight taken my speech taken my hearing taken my arms taken my legs taken my soul)
Going in, I wondered if there would be enough material to fill a book where the sole character interacts with no one. While I did find that some of the descriptions of his mundane memories tedious to read, I understood that they were there as a contrast to the horror and impossibility of his situation. That said, there were also moments (that I won't spoil for you) that starkly surprised me.
Recommended if you're interested in how human minds can try to hold themselves together when in isolation and are prepared to face that kind of claustrophobia. 3.5 stars on SG rounded down to 3 on GR.
The premise of the novel is simple: a soldier awakens in a hospital and is sensorily cut off from the world. He can't see, he can't hear, he can't taste or smell. All his limbs are gone. He's effectively kept alive only by machines and is trapped alone in the darkness of his mind.
(Landmine has taken my sight taken my speech taken my hearing taken my arms taken my legs taken my soul)
Going in, I wondered if there would be enough material to fill a book where the sole character interacts with no one. While I did find that some of the descriptions of his mundane memories tedious to read, I understood that they were there as a contrast to the horror and impossibility of his situation. That said, there were also moments (that I won't spoil for you) that starkly surprised me.
Recommended if you're interested in how human minds can try to hold themselves together when in isolation and are prepared to face that kind of claustrophobia. 3.5 stars on SG rounded down to 3 on GR.
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
A staggering, powerful anti war tract that doubles as rigorous dive into the shaping of a man.
I enjoyed this book overall. I got a recommendation for it on TikTok. I think it might have been a little overhyped in my opinion.