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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
I could feel myself getting into a reading slump and I think I need to put this one down and try something new. Honestly, I’m getting a little uncomfortable with the focus on religion and the discussion of Israel. I’m sad because I was really enjoying the side characters, but is heavily hinted that they die so I don’t feel too bad putting this one down. Anne and George Edwards forever, incredibly funny awesome characters.
This novel was disturbing, but well written and filled with such interesting ideas.
I'm not sure why I liked this book so much. It was rending and heartbreaking. Maybe because it put words to how I feel about faith and a human relationship with God:
"You know what's the most terrifying thing about admitting that you're in love? You are just naked. You put yourself in harm's way and you lay down all your defenses. No clothes, no weapons. Nowhere to hide. Completely vulnerable. The only thing that makes it tolerable is to believe that the other person loves you back...”
"You know what's the most terrifying thing about admitting that you're in love? You are just naked. You put yourself in harm's way and you lay down all your defenses. No clothes, no weapons. Nowhere to hide. Completely vulnerable. The only thing that makes it tolerable is to believe that the other person loves you back...”
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
it’s been a while since i’ve read a book that hit me this hard. because of the time jumps you know something goes wrong with jesuits in space, but you don’t know exactly what until nearly the very end. the protagonists unfolding of and reckoning with what happens is both captivating and gut wrenching. the best way i can explain it is like a car crash that you can’t look away from, but in an oddly beautiful way i guess? i also enjoyed how interwoven this book is with anthropology, linguistics, theology, philosophy, etc. i’ll admit there were some occasions where characters would be having a conversation about one of the above topics and it became clear through their conversation what the AUTHOR likely thought, as if she were using the characters as a mouthpiece for her ideas, but i guess all authors do that? currently sprinting to google Russell and her background because tbh i think that would explain a lot.
UPDATE: i’m back after reading that the author wrote this as a DEFENSE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS?!? there were clear parallels to colonialism and the willful misunderstandings and assumptions made by those in a “white savior” mindset … but i really struggle to understand the columbus parallel like, at all? i read this book as a condemnation of colonialism, not as a defense of colonizers. i have much more to say about this ridiculousness but ill leave it here - i had to change my rating despite this book being well paced and well written because that just left the most sour taste in my mouth. disgusting bye
UPDATE: i’m back after reading that the author wrote this as a DEFENSE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS?!? there were clear parallels to colonialism and the willful misunderstandings and assumptions made by those in a “white savior” mindset … but i really struggle to understand the columbus parallel like, at all? i read this book as a condemnation of colonialism, not as a defense of colonizers. i have much more to say about this ridiculousness but ill leave it here - i had to change my rating despite this book being well paced and well written because that just left the most sour taste in my mouth. disgusting bye
“So," Sandoz said at last, "you have come as a tourist perhaps? To see how the whore sleeps. As you see: the whore sleeps badly."
"Emilio, don’t talk like that—"
"The choice of word disturbs you? It did me, at first. But I have reconsidered. What is a whore but someone whose body is ruined for the pleasure of others? I am God’s whore, and ruined.”
Crazy book. It's about a jesuit priest and his gang of pals who find alien music, hope it means God loves them, so they travel through space in an asteroid to the alien's planet to follow God's plan for them and communicate their divine gifts with another one of God's creations and (hopefully) transcend to sainthood in the process. Turns out that while Emilio might be God's blorbo God is the kind of girl to put Emilio in an emotional and theological blender until he's bleeding and shaking on it. literally.
While this is a fun read, and very ambitious for a debut with such a bold plot, it is far from perfect. My main issue with this book is pacing and character. The first third (or so) is super protracted, while the last section is incredibly rushed, even though this is where 80% of the action is, and the best part of the book plot and writing wise. Instead we spend soooo much time with the characters, before they come together as a group and then once they are on Rahkat, and soooo much of their dialogue as a group is lame. This is especially annoying as we are clearly meant to find these characters charming and loveable and (to me) they are just so unevolved even though we devoted so much space to them. Irritating!
This ties into the unlikable characterisation for many of the characters - George and Anne seem very juvenile to me no matter how many times you tell me they are the respectable mommy and daddy of the group, Anne's poor intellectual humour especially is annoying, George kind of killed them all, characters have hackeyned accents (D.W), or a generic trait that serves as 90% of their characterisation, Sofia is the kind of stunningly beautiful stunningly intelligent ice queen who everyone falls in love with at first sight that I personally cannot stand as a character, Marc and Jimmy don't get to do anything at all. Also for educated people they were all so stupid about the ethics of this whole thing - no shit introducing agriculture is gonna be a big deal guys. Emilio is fun! But he's the blorbo, so he's gotta be fun. in a sick way.
"Emilio, don’t talk like that—"
"The choice of word disturbs you? It did me, at first. But I have reconsidered. What is a whore but someone whose body is ruined for the pleasure of others? I am God’s whore, and ruined.”
Crazy book. It's about a jesuit priest and his gang of pals who find alien music, hope it means God loves them, so they travel through space in an asteroid to the alien's planet to follow God's plan for them and communicate their divine gifts with another one of God's creations and (hopefully) transcend to sainthood in the process. Turns out that while Emilio might be God's blorbo God is the kind of girl to put Emilio in an emotional and theological blender until he's bleeding and shaking on it. literally.
While this is a fun read, and very ambitious for a debut with such a bold plot, it is far from perfect. My main issue with this book is pacing and character. The first third (or so) is super protracted, while the last section is incredibly rushed, even though this is where 80% of the action is, and the best part of the book plot and writing wise. Instead we spend soooo much time with the characters, before they come together as a group and then once they are on Rahkat, and soooo much of their dialogue as a group is lame. This is especially annoying as we are clearly meant to find these characters charming and loveable and (to me) they are just so unevolved even though we devoted so much space to them. Irritating!
This ties into the unlikable characterisation for many of the characters - George and Anne seem very juvenile to me no matter how many times you tell me they are the respectable mommy and daddy of the group, Anne's poor intellectual humour especially is annoying, George kind of killed them all, characters have hackeyned accents (D.W), or a generic trait that serves as 90% of their characterisation, Sofia is the kind of stunningly beautiful stunningly intelligent ice queen who everyone falls in love with at first sight that I personally cannot stand as a character, Marc and Jimmy don't get to do anything at all. Also for educated people they were all so stupid about the ethics of this whole thing - no shit introducing agriculture is gonna be a big deal guys. Emilio is fun! But he's the blorbo, so he's gotta be fun. in a sick way.
The futuristic story of a group of priests and scientists that leave Earth to make contact with species on another planet. I liked the story. The details of the other planet, their lives, how they dealt with the differences were all interesting. Since part of the group were jesuit priests, there was a fair amount of discussion about faith and God.
Imagining Earth's first extraterrestrial contact with anthropological and spiritual flavors. "The Sparrow" borrows from past accounts of Jesuit exploration (think "Silence") to imagine a scenario where Earthlings are the interlopers, with disastrous results. Even though the conceit of a couple of scientists and Jesuit buddies discovering an alien transmission and then organizing their own private interstellar mission is a *bit* hard to buy, I didn't mind. Russell's book is scrupulously researched, but she doesn't allow tedious technobabble to get in the way of what she's trying to do. And although we know from the start that something very bad happened to the mission, the final chapter is still shockingly sad and brutal in contrast to the scenes of wonder and awe that preceded it.
I did mind, however, some bothersome stylistic quirks. If a character has a distinctive physique, like being tall or fat, we are reminded of it at least once every few paragraphs where the character is featured, which gets a little irritating over 500 pages. And the dialogue can be a bit lame, especially when it's going for humor. No matter what future year we're dealing with, you can bet on a lot of references to minutia of baby-boomer era pop culture. (Just make up new stuff, SF writers.)
Despite these minor annoyances, Russell's book is a bold entry in the science fiction canon, and looks at the alien encounter in an entirely different light, and raising questions about colonialism, faith, and morals in the process.
I did mind, however, some bothersome stylistic quirks. If a character has a distinctive physique, like being tall or fat, we are reminded of it at least once every few paragraphs where the character is featured, which gets a little irritating over 500 pages. And the dialogue can be a bit lame, especially when it's going for humor. No matter what future year we're dealing with, you can bet on a lot of references to minutia of baby-boomer era pop culture. (Just make up new stuff, SF writers.)
Despite these minor annoyances, Russell's book is a bold entry in the science fiction canon, and looks at the alien encounter in an entirely different light, and raising questions about colonialism, faith, and morals in the process.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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