Reviews

Beautiful prose. At first the novel's repetitive structure struck me as gimmicky, but I liked how each story-cycle was more out-there than the last. Another author for whom I'm excited to see what comes next.

titusfortner's review against another edition

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3.0

An interesting idea. The pacing was a bit weird; too slow in the beginning and too fast in the end. Overall an interesting story, but it was a little difficult to really connect with the characters for most of the story when they felt constantly in flux.

coris's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

4.25

mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition

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2.0

It wasn't the sex. Or the gay sex. It was the overly layered style of the writing in which we visited different instances of the character again and again. It did get better when we finally reached the version of the characters that had wings. And from that point on the book was somewhat interesting. But really the author reached for something that was clearly supposed to be difficult for the reader. And it was. And it wasn't worth reaching for. Where a more straightforward version of the story would have been more interesting to me. So no.

remigves's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

essinink's review against another edition

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5.0

A computer program has a story to tell, but the data has been corrupted.

I struggled to find words for this. I'm still struggling, to be honest. My favorite books have the tendency to twist reality to their whims, and this one is no exception. Finishing it out, I feel... satisfied with a lingering sense of "what the hell just happened?"

This doesn't read like a debut novel. The rhythm of the language (simple though the words might be), pushes the reader onwards, straining against the confines of the narrative. Skillful use of repeating imagery throughout the spiraling narrative packs emotional gut-punches as both the reader and the main character slowly realize what, exactly, is going on.

One thing that I didn't expect is that, as much as it's a post-disaster novel, it's also a very post-9/11 novel. I wasn't really expecting that. It's hard to realize that the formative experience of my late childhood is now history, part and parcel of collective memory, to be referenced in novels. It's not a bad thing, by any means, but it gave me a jolt.

This is a story about love, about loss, about what is left after the flesh ceases; and, ultimately, it's a book about genocide.

I love it to pieces. More, please?
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ETA: Particularly in the first few chapters, there are some scenes and language not suitable for minors.

em_p2's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

The framing was complicated and it wasn’t communicated or executed in a way that made it accessible as a reader. I didn’t know what was going on for most of the book, even though I enjoyed the individual stories. Overall, I was unsatisfied with how it all shook out.

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