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lamv98's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
stephkallas_'s review against another edition
5.0
This is not a feel-good book. It doesn't progress how you want, nor end how you want.
But I can't get it out of my head.
*Spoilers*
My main takeaways:
1. Discomfort is replaced by ignorance. The most obvious example I can think of was when the legs disappeared for the first time. The people were uncomfortable, they knew more was coming. Yet somehow as more body parts disappeared, that discomfort too.
- But I think this is how it is in our world. I feel utterly uncomfortable with the state of things in Gaza and Sudan, yet in the spirit of preserving my sanity I consciously choose to skip videos of the suffering children, I consciously choose not to read about it, and I consciously choose to look away. I do this because, "I have no control of the outcome. I can't make a difference."
But I think that's what Ogawa opposes. To say these things is simply a cop out. Like the typist who had the choice to knock back and escape, she was paralysed in fear and inability. We are members of this society, and have merged with the "dark room" in which we no longer feel the ability to escape.
2. If the world continues as we have been, we accept the loss of our voice, our limbs, our autonomy - and we disappear. Allowing the continual violations, means that eventually our world will become unrecognisable.
I know this is a book that requires more than one read. So many of the ideas have undoubtedly gone over my head. More than the writing itself, I think this book is so fundamentally brilliant because through simple narrative it parallels the unseen issues within our society.
But I can't get it out of my head.
*Spoilers*
My main takeaways:
1. Discomfort is replaced by ignorance. The most obvious example I can think of was when the legs disappeared for the first time. The people were uncomfortable, they knew more was coming. Yet somehow as more body parts disappeared, that discomfort too.
- But I think this is how it is in our world. I feel utterly uncomfortable with the state of things in Gaza and Sudan, yet in the spirit of preserving my sanity I consciously choose to skip videos of the suffering children, I consciously choose not to read about it, and I consciously choose to look away. I do this because, "I have no control of the outcome. I can't make a difference."
But I think that's what Ogawa opposes. To say these things is simply a cop out. Like the typist who had the choice to knock back and escape, she was paralysed in fear and inability. We are members of this society, and have merged with the "dark room" in which we no longer feel the ability to escape.
2. If the world continues as we have been, we accept the loss of our voice, our limbs, our autonomy - and we disappear. Allowing the continual violations, means that eventually our world will become unrecognisable.
I know this is a book that requires more than one read. So many of the ideas have undoubtedly gone over my head. More than the writing itself, I think this book is so fundamentally brilliant because through simple narrative it parallels the unseen issues within our society.
danikaaa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Such a tragic book. It really has me thinking about our own human lives. Mostly about things we fear on a day to day basis and this book really hits you in the face about that. Such a good read in my opinion and I’ll definitely be thinking about this one for a while!
eebogus's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
verapoyraz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
futurememory's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
What a claustrophobic novel. It was honestly hard to pick this back up at times because there's such an undercurrent of terror, underneath the matter-of-fact observations and prose.
This type of atmospheric science fiction definitely isn't for everyone. It's firmly a dystopian hellscape that deals more with the metaphorical, a specific kind of existential dread, the fear of disappearing, of becoming irrelevant, mortality, of what makes us human and what we can stand to lose. A death by a thousand cuts scenario. The Memory Police is surreal in a terse way. Its bombshells are made all the more horrifying by the numb acceptance of the inhabitants of the island.
Bleak and affecting.
If I had one critique, I think that the book-within-a-book can be distracting from the main novel. It does all come together nicely in the end, but whenever we diverted into that other novel, I was just chomping at the bit to get back to the main story.
This type of atmospheric science fiction definitely isn't for everyone. It's firmly a dystopian hellscape that deals more with the metaphorical, a specific kind of existential dread, the fear of disappearing, of becoming irrelevant, mortality, of what makes us human and what we can stand to lose. A death by a thousand cuts scenario. The Memory Police is surreal in a terse way. Its bombshells are made all the more horrifying by the numb acceptance of the inhabitants of the island.
Bleak and affecting.
If I had one critique, I think that the book-within-a-book can be distracting from the main novel. It does all come together nicely in the end, but whenever we diverted into that other novel, I was just chomping at the bit to get back to the main story.
piratesarah's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This haunting story of a dystopian island is a deep exploration of the concept of revisionist history. I will be thinking about it for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Body horror
haidaway_'s review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
aryanasuhaimi's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75