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concretefem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Innovative on one hand, incredibly tedious on the other. The novel sacrificed character development and upfront world building for the sake of extending its central mystery. And while I understand what the author was trying to accomplish, over time profound fatigue overwhelmed my sense of curiosity about where the book was going; I just wanted it all to end.
A few additional demerits because the author never managed to arrive at prose that was particularly artful, poetic, or engaging. Even while presenting a diversity of characters, everything felt flat, one dimensional and superficial.
Definitely not one of my favorite reads.
A few additional demerits because the author never managed to arrive at prose that was particularly artful, poetic, or engaging. Even while presenting a diversity of characters, everything felt flat, one dimensional and superficial.
Definitely not one of my favorite reads.
spectra37's review against another edition
4.0
I liked but didnt quite end up loving this book. I did really like the gradual reveal and the use of repeated images to link the various sections together. It made me think about humanity's place and about how people grow and live despite tragedy, and I n.v have a feeling I'll still be thinking about it a long time from now.
zober's review against another edition
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
This just didn't work for me. It was remarkably confusing, and not in a fun way (see: Piranesi). If I had read the book blurb first, I probably would have been less confused, but I'm of the opinion that everything important should be in the book, not summarized in the blurb as information you need going in. This wasn't terrible, but it isn't something I will recommend to anyone.
fairymodmother's review against another edition
2.0
An ambitious, imaginative retelling that I think juuuuust didn't quite gel.
CONTENT WARNINGS: (no actual spoilers, just a list of topics)
Things that were very well done:
-The glitching. Gender, location, purpose, cause all kept changing around an evolving theme in a way that felt hallucinatory, fragmented and critical.
-The concept. From the retelling (I won't mention it, either you'll figure it out or it's at the back of the book and I don't want to spoil it) to the solution to the issues, it's quite a unique take.
-It's succinct. This really should have been a novella, but the author realized this was a literary experiment and wisely kept it brief.
Things I did not think worked:
-The love story. Okay, well, I don't like most love stories. But this one in particular was...not terribly believable for me. Perhaps it had to do with how fragmented it was or how we linger on certain aspects but I wanted it a bit more fleshed out if this was to be the central plot.
-The narrative structure. I wanted each section to build more upon the last than I think they did. I wanted to find the strand of truth and be uncertain as to the rest and I wasn't.
-The pacing. The first third really drags on and the last third is quite rushed.
-Characterization. I like that the author made such a strong attempt at using a diverse cast, but am a bit uncomfortable with the portrayal of gay people, Latinx people, people in open relationships, homelessness, and parenthood. I think these got pretty stereotypical without any thought as to why it would be this way. Perhaps it's more glitch, but I would have needed more context for that.
-The actual defrag portions. This could have conveyed so much more than it did! A wasted opportunity.
2.5 stars rounded down because I saw where it was aiming and I think it just didn't deliver.
CONTENT WARNINGS: (no actual spoilers, just a list of topics)
Spoiler
suicide, wasting illness, loss of a loved one, gore/effluvia, adultery, domestic violence.Things that were very well done:
-The glitching. Gender, location, purpose, cause all kept changing around an evolving theme in a way that felt hallucinatory, fragmented and critical.
-The concept. From the retelling (I won't mention it, either you'll figure it out or it's at the back of the book and I don't want to spoil it) to the solution to the issues, it's quite a unique take.
-It's succinct. This really should have been a novella, but the author realized this was a literary experiment and wisely kept it brief.
Things I did not think worked:
-The love story. Okay, well, I don't like most love stories. But this one in particular was...not terribly believable for me. Perhaps it had to do with how fragmented it was or how we linger on certain aspects but I wanted it a bit more fleshed out if this was to be the central plot.
-The narrative structure. I wanted each section to build more upon the last than I think they did. I wanted to find the strand of truth and be uncertain as to the rest and I wasn't.
-The pacing. The first third really drags on and the last third is quite rushed.
-Characterization. I like that the author made such a strong attempt at using a diverse cast, but am a bit uncomfortable with the portrayal of gay people, Latinx people, people in open relationships, homelessness, and parenthood. I think these got pretty stereotypical without any thought as to why it would be this way. Perhaps it's more glitch, but I would have needed more context for that.
-The actual defrag portions. This could have conveyed so much more than it did! A wasted opportunity.
2.5 stars rounded down because I saw where it was aiming and I think it just didn't deliver.
alysonimagines's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.25
heregrim's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting concept showing the relationship between two people as they shift between gender, sexual orientation, age etc. It might have been the audio version I got, or just the set up of the story itself, but this book was not to my taste.
endlesswonder's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-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
2.0
kevinhendricks's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very trippy novel where the characters kept changing every chapter or so—literally shifting from being two male lovers to being a male and female lover to being a brother and sister, etc. They kept similar names and traits, but the story kept shifting gears. It's a bizarre mystery that's not really explained until the end, and it made for a weird reading experience. The first third or so was hard to get through, but then it started getting more engaging. There's a post-apocalytpic, alien-invasion vibe, though you never quite know for sure what's going on. Very experimental, though I'm not sure how successful it was.
elsiemookow's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very obviously a love it or hate it experimental work, and for once I loved it! I listened to it on audiobook, and the narrator was quite lovely. I figured out what was going on about halfway through, and I admit to being a tad frustrated up to that point. Once I figured it out, I just sat back and enjoyed the journey. Sure there were flaws and a bit of a hit and miss plot, but I've never encountered a book quite like it and for less than 8 hours of my time absolutely worth it.