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hollydocherty's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
neni_19's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lisa_mc's review against another edition
3.0
“They never saw it coming.” Often meant as a comfort, this statement carries with it the scent of ignorance — blissful, willful or otherwise. Should they have known? Should they have looked? Should they have asked?
Most of the people in “Things We Didn’t See Coming,” a sharp debut from Steven Amsterdam, not only didn’t see things coming, they refuse to see them once they’re here.
The book consists of nine separate but connected stories, all told by the same nameless narrator at various points in his life. The first story takes place on New Year’s Eve 1999, as the 9-year-old narrator is whisked to the country in a car packed with supplies by his panicky father, who, we later see, turns out to be right about the impending chaos.
When he’s a teenage delinquent, living where urban and rural are starkly delineated, he takes his grandparents on one last, now-forbidden trip to the country.
The rest of the stories swoop back into his life at irregular intervals, when he’s a wandering thief, a government agent, a member of a commune, a tour guide for the terminally ill.
The snapshots of society Amsterdam gives us are narrowly framed and sometimes blurry, but nonetheless show significant changes. The social order has not completely broken down, but has been upended as people are forced to deal with severe changes in climate, natural disasters, demographic shifts and rampant illness. But the stories focus not on the chaos of the future, the details of which are only roughly sketched, but rather on the actions and reactions of the people living through it.
There’s a lot of potential — both for drama and for distraction — in a dystopian future, and Amsterdam takes an unexpected approach by forgoing a narrative arc to focus on individual people and incidents instead of the larger world. He doesn't preach or present the stories as cautionary tales; he simply lays out the lives of a few people. He’s a keen observer of people, which makes the characters interesting enough for readers to overlook the lack of detail about the world we aren’t living in. As the narrator shifts from taking to giving to a balance of the two, he gets a lesson in human nature. People are stubborn and largely predictable, and like to look back at what was rather than ahead to what’s coming.
Most of the people in “Things We Didn’t See Coming,” a sharp debut from Steven Amsterdam, not only didn’t see things coming, they refuse to see them once they’re here.
The book consists of nine separate but connected stories, all told by the same nameless narrator at various points in his life. The first story takes place on New Year’s Eve 1999, as the 9-year-old narrator is whisked to the country in a car packed with supplies by his panicky father, who, we later see, turns out to be right about the impending chaos.
When he’s a teenage delinquent, living where urban and rural are starkly delineated, he takes his grandparents on one last, now-forbidden trip to the country.
The rest of the stories swoop back into his life at irregular intervals, when he’s a wandering thief, a government agent, a member of a commune, a tour guide for the terminally ill.
The snapshots of society Amsterdam gives us are narrowly framed and sometimes blurry, but nonetheless show significant changes. The social order has not completely broken down, but has been upended as people are forced to deal with severe changes in climate, natural disasters, demographic shifts and rampant illness. But the stories focus not on the chaos of the future, the details of which are only roughly sketched, but rather on the actions and reactions of the people living through it.
There’s a lot of potential — both for drama and for distraction — in a dystopian future, and Amsterdam takes an unexpected approach by forgoing a narrative arc to focus on individual people and incidents instead of the larger world. He doesn't preach or present the stories as cautionary tales; he simply lays out the lives of a few people. He’s a keen observer of people, which makes the characters interesting enough for readers to overlook the lack of detail about the world we aren’t living in. As the narrator shifts from taking to giving to a balance of the two, he gets a lesson in human nature. People are stubborn and largely predictable, and like to look back at what was rather than ahead to what’s coming.
silverlines1's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
aerolich's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-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? Yes
3.0
sandeestarlite's review against another edition
4.0
Each chapter of the book covers a slice of life of the narrator after the end of the world as we know it, starting when he's 14 at the Millennium. Life is about to change, life has changed, life goes on - a little different twist on the genre.
bellamaggs's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
fast-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? Yes
3.25
lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
Apocalypse Blah... Apparently, Y2K really did crash the grid and we spend the next 30-odd years living through the food shortages, weather disruptions (massive rains, fires, hurricanes, etc.), cancers and other catastrophes, thanks to our unnamed narrator.
Starting on New Year's, 1999, he and his parents load up a survivalists amount of stuff and leave their home to stay with his grandparents. Dad leaves to wait at some secret location in the woods, and we're off. Surviving by his wits (theft, mostly petty) and several government-related jobs (Relocation, mostly), he finally ends up - many cancers and relationships later - doing tours for the nearly dead and dying. The final tour takes a detour to Dad's house, a veritable eden with clean water, air and food. It is there we (and he) end this tale.
While some of the images are interesting, it seemed more of a mish-mash of every The End Is Coming scenario than taking readers on a new journey.
ARC provided by publisher.
Starting on New Year's, 1999, he and his parents load up a survivalists amount of stuff and leave their home to stay with his grandparents. Dad leaves to wait at some secret location in the woods, and we're off. Surviving by his wits (theft, mostly petty) and several government-related jobs (Relocation, mostly), he finally ends up - many cancers and relationships later - doing tours for the nearly dead and dying. The final tour takes a detour to Dad's house, a veritable eden with clean water, air and food. It is there we (and he) end this tale.
While some of the images are interesting, it seemed more of a mish-mash of every The End Is Coming scenario than taking readers on a new journey.
ARC provided by publisher.
rowena_wiseman's review against another edition
4.0
Steven Amsterdam's Things We Didn't See Coming was published by Sleepers Publishing in Melbourne in 2009. Shortly afterwards, it was added to the VCE English reading list for senior high school students, securing a captive audience, and hopefully opening the eyes of a number of students who otherwise may never have read a book like this.
Steven's road to publication is every wannabe author's dream. He had two short stories published in The Sleepers Almanac and the publisher actually asked him if he had anything else. Well, it turned out that he did, a collection of short stories, weaved together in a post-Y2K dystopia.
The book starts on Millennium Eve, when the unnamed main character is just a teenager. Each chapter jumps a number of years, allowing the novel to span decades in this boy's life. In the beginning, he is an innocent adolescent in the loving care of his parents and grandparents, but we watch as his world is turned upside down and he has to scavenge and outsmart others to survive.
It is a confident first novel, the character's voice is raw and engaging and his journey is gripping. Steven maintains the suspense throughout, and the main character continually finds himself in sticky situations where his morals are challenged. There are some scenes that would have some parents crying out to the purveyors of decency and good taste, but it is also rich with important issues surrounding the environment and health and the use of pharmaceutical drugs.
Steven's road to publication is every wannabe author's dream. He had two short stories published in The Sleepers Almanac and the publisher actually asked him if he had anything else. Well, it turned out that he did, a collection of short stories, weaved together in a post-Y2K dystopia.
The book starts on Millennium Eve, when the unnamed main character is just a teenager. Each chapter jumps a number of years, allowing the novel to span decades in this boy's life. In the beginning, he is an innocent adolescent in the loving care of his parents and grandparents, but we watch as his world is turned upside down and he has to scavenge and outsmart others to survive.
It is a confident first novel, the character's voice is raw and engaging and his journey is gripping. Steven maintains the suspense throughout, and the main character continually finds himself in sticky situations where his morals are challenged. There are some scenes that would have some parents crying out to the purveyors of decency and good taste, but it is also rich with important issues surrounding the environment and health and the use of pharmaceutical drugs.