Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Future by Naomi Alderman

4 reviews

kitwhelan's review

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dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I would still rather read Psalm For The Wild Built to get my futurism from a less intense source, but this was compelling as heck. 

I really wished we could’ve spent more time on the finale and what was happening in the world, and less on the island, as the ending felt a bit rushed. But, even though I have some critiques, I enjoyed the way this story was told and will probably keep thinking about it’s big ideas for a long time. 

Honestly, 
if only it could be so easy as getting rid of three billionaires. In reality I’m not sure the forces of capitalism would allow anyone to so quickly change the world. Although I am 100% on board with social media platforms emphasizing the good rather than the anger and fear-inducing content. That would help.

I also saw the fact that they faked the apocalypse coming from the first chapters, I’m not sure if it’s meant to be a twist. But because of that I do wish we could’ve spent less time with the billionaires and more time with Martha & co actually doing the fixing of the world. (In truth, I would have rather had our heroes be more average individuals than second-in-command to the rich & powerful.) BUT I do think for the times we live in now coming at it from the perspective of tech bros was effective. Especially for those who are early in their anti-capitalist journey.
 
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dkmorello's review

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challenging tense slow-paced
  • 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

2.0

I so wanted to love this book, as much as I loved The Power. This book was different in many ways, and not for the better. On the plus side, Alderman’s imagination is huge, but the tale itself is a concoction of the worst human behaviors among the worst people on the planet. A cabal of 5-10 billionaire tech and media CEOs believe the world is heading toward catastrophe, so they build their own escapes for themselves (only for themselves) on idyllic islands and mountains or underground lairs or even after plane crashes. Then they go about making money, more billions, from catastrophe.while human beings suffer. The story plays on our fears of climate crises and self-destruction and on the selfishness of the elites, but neither the story nor the people leading the cabal were the people I wanted to hear about. In fact, the story seemed to dissolve into inchoate concepts and incoherent religious babble. I do not recommend this book when there are so many other books to read.
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kizzy's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • 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? No

3.75

The chronology, or lack of, is very difficult to follow. For 2/3 of it, I wanted to heave it against a wall. I’m still trying to decide if it was worth it in the end. An ambitious and creative undertaking with a hopeful ending. 
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livlostinstereo's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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