Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I can see why people like this but I had trouble connecting to the characters.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
slow-paced
medium-paced
This is really two stories that cover the same themes in the same book. One set in the 80s in France and the other in future Australia. Which way you read them matters not, I started with the future Australia and Lyle, the husband in an immigrant family trying to thrive in a 'worst case scenario' globally warmed, doomsday, racist and nanny society. I disliked this story, it was too heavy handed and lacked nuance. The character Lyric being a they/them, non-binary character could have been an interesting topic but seeing as we were encouraged to dislike her and the issue was never mentioned, the author much preferring to go into detail on the factor 1000 sunscreen that everyone must now adorn and the "Whack-a-mullah" game that encourages citizens to attack Muslims in a mobile app to ensure the government know you are not one of them.
The second, a historical fiction that was much less on the nose was interesting and enjoyable. There were still themes of racism and socialism but it was more subtle than the sledgehammer of the future world that lacked any nuance. Lili was an Australian immigrant in the 80s and had left Australia to teach in France for a year. Here she witnessed the racism towards Algerians who had fought alongside the French but now were not welcomed into the country due to religion. The story was more refined and I felt more of a connection with her character than Lyle.
Overall it balanced out to an ok book but nothing that wowed me.
I liked the concept of the book turning upside down like the immigrants' lives but it was little more than a gimmick as it did not add to me feeling the world flipping.
The second, a historical fiction that was much less on the nose was interesting and enjoyable. There were still themes of racism and socialism but it was more subtle than the sledgehammer of the future world that lacked any nuance. Lili was an Australian immigrant in the 80s and had left Australia to teach in France for a year. Here she witnessed the racism towards Algerians who had fought alongside the French but now were not welcomed into the country due to religion. The story was more refined and I felt more of a connection with her character than Lyle.
Overall it balanced out to an ok book but nothing that wowed me.
I liked the concept of the book turning upside down like the immigrants' lives but it was little more than a gimmick as it did not add to me feeling the world flipping.
Wow Lyle's story was pretty uncomfortable to read..!
The winner of this year's Rathbones Folio Fiction Prize. This novel could almost be two novels. There are two 'stories'. Read the first one and when you've finished turn the book upside down and read the second. We have Lili, an Asian immigrant to Australia who is teaching in France. Her story is full of the scary monster of the racial prejudice she feels, as well as the unwanted attention of her neighbour who she fears will one day kill her. In the second story we are in an Australia in a time that seems frighteningly close and this time the scary monsters are ageism and racism. Lyle is an immigrant in a country that had banned Islam. The government controls the population by hanging the sword of deportation over them as most families have a grandparent who was an immigrant. Lyle and his wife work very hard to assimilate themselves while at the same time he strives to be indispensable and invisible - he wants to keep below the radar. For me the really scary part was the Amendment - where it was made easier for the aged population to have a 'Joyous Occasion' which was excellent for the economy as dependents came into their inheritances and spent money. Lyle's wife attitude to his mother, her coldness - chilling. Lyle's story especially was not a comfortable read. A book to leave you thinking.
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
This was enjoyable enough but didn’t blow me away. It had a clever structure that ended up being too gimmicky for my taste. The writing was a bit too heavy-handed for my liking.