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rieviolet's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
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
3.5
Let me start by saying that, in general, I am not a big fan of short stories/fragmented narratives.
The author's writing style was good so the reading experience was more pleasant than with other similar books that I've previously read. Still, the scope of the story is so broad that I struggled to keep track of characters and events with each narrative jump and I'm sure I missed a lot of connections and nods to previous characters/plot points.
Also, I appreciated certain storylines much more than other ones (for example I quite liked the chapters focused on the character of Nee), so some parts were a bit of a slog to get through.
I didn't particularly like the chapters set in a futuristic reality but that's just my personal taste, as dystopian-like stories
are really not my cup of tea.
On a side note, some sections were a bit too graphic for me, for
example a segment describing in detail a plastic surgery operation that made me really uncomfortable and I think it could have been left out without much loss.
The author's writing style was good so the reading experience was more pleasant than with other similar books that I've previously read. Still, the scope of the story is so broad that I struggled to keep track of characters and events with each narrative jump and I'm sure I missed a lot of connections and nods to previous characters/plot points.
Also, I appreciated certain storylines much more than other ones (for example I quite liked the chapters focused on the character of Nee), so some parts were a bit of a slog to get through.
I didn't particularly like the chapters set in a futuristic reality but that's just my personal taste, as dystopian-like stories
are really not my cup of tea.
On a side note, some sections were a bit too graphic for me, for
example a segment describing in detail a plastic surgery operation that made me really uncomfortable and I think it could have been left out without much loss.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Police brutality, Colonisation, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Medical content, Xenophobia, and Death
Moderate: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Excrement, Gun violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Animal death, Cursing, Confinement, Alcoholism, War, Infidelity, Vomit, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Cancer, Sexual content, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
kriskrisboom's review
dark
emotional
informative
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
5.0
This book was incredibly, achingly beautiful. I was worried I would be left without resolution for some of the main characters but I am very satisfied with how this concluded. Its classified as short stories here but it felt like a very cohesive novel where the main character is actually the city. Reading this book was like embracing all the iterations of water. The ebb and flow of floods and rivers. The crash of falls or the ocean. The danger beneath the surface of an urban river. This is a book about waters and ghosts. About life and love and time. The imprints we leave and the way that we all fade. I lived how this was set up so playfully treating time and story. I am left with that sort of hollowed out feeling after reading something incredible. I am sure I will hear rain in my dreams for a good while after this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
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