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elizapease's review against another edition
funny
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Slice of life sci-fi… has it ever been done before? not sure. but Michael Faber does an incredible and mesmerizing job at it. The Book of Strange New Things is slow moving yet spell-binding - a hypnotic read that transports you to this strange, arid yet humid planet, and plops you down amongst the Oasins. I was stunned by the incredible imagery in this book - I saw the unusual rain dancing and felt the thick humidity weaving it’s way under my clothing. When “Father Peper” meets and falls in love with the Oasisins, so did I. It felt as though I too was living in the red mud huts with this (somehow adorable) alien life form, eating the mysterious white flowers, and participating in their unusual and laid-back cultural norms. Like Peter, I also did not want to leave. I found myself completely transported by this book, unable to put it down and thinking about it non-stop, despite it being relatively slow-moving and mostly character driven. It’s hilarious, cute, insightful and at times devastating. I will probably read it again, which i almost never do. I was at times frustrated that there was no deep-dive into the mysterious company that sends him to this other planet, or into the lives and emotions of his coworkers on base. The evasiveness was central to the plot, but i personally felt as though it left something to be desired. 4 stars solely because i felt some parts could have been developed more, and I got annoyed by his buzz-kill wife.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Alcoholism
itsnicholaslashay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Addiction
Minor: Suicide
emmyh_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcoholism
benasbooks's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Medical content, Animal death, Colonisation, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment, Self harm, Xenophobia, Classism, Grief, Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
n_asyikin_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
TW: religion; mentions of domestic violence; focus on gender may evoke transphobia-related triggers; mentions of deaths; addictions; ableism; graphic animal abuse; natural disasters
An atmospheric story, described in ways that was evocative which effectively transported you into an alien planet. The rain, in particular, captivated me - much as it did our MC Peter. This book was character-driven, in such that there really wasn't a clear conflict & solution; those exist in the implicit struggles brought about by Peter's interactions with others, especially with his Earth-bound wife. Peter was simplistic in some ways, with his attenuated dedication to his faith; the conflict derived from his struggles regarding his faith at the end. The narrative was gorgeous in some parts.
However, some of Peter's approaches and views could be frustrating, bordering on problematic.I was uncomfortable with his insistence to genderized the Oasans; that "need" bordered on transphobia for me (i.e., we're referring to alien species here, with no clear indication that gender exists in their kind, so the insistence left a bad taste in my mouth). Concurrently, there was implicit & explicit instances of racism. The seeming use of AAVE in the depiction of BG also felt rather stereotypical; I'm unsure how a Black American may feel about how he was depicted especially since this book was written by a white author. There was also the use of racial slur, describing another human being as having "simian features". It is also common in the narrative that the author would delineate & acknowledge that an opinion is prejudicial. It felt disingenous though to have that point being said, then within the same context, acknowledge its potential problem. The question then became, what purpose did it has in the storyline? Take the gender issue, for example. It seemed rather trivial that Peter's obsession relates more to linguistic pragmatism, e.g., needing to use genderised pronouns to refer to the Oasan. For someone as simplistic in his view, Peter spent an exhaustive amount of time for something as trivial. My point was, this element to the story felt dismissable when it shouldn't've been. I was hoping that Peter could contemplate more, especially when he decided to better understand the local community (which was commendable).
That being said, there were hints of the 'white saviour' trope imbued with colonial justification into some parts of the story.For example, the brown Muslim side-character that needs rescuing from the white church. Notably, that story arc seemed to perpetuate Islamophobia. I was also hoping that more can be explored with the seeming apathy by USIC staffs; I thought that element to the story deserved greater attention especially in relation to Alex Grainger.
Aside from that, the bond Peter shared with the Oasans was beautiful, particularly in terms of their trust in him. I was especially moved by the goodbye scene. Perhaps this was due to his brain fog, or memory lapses, but I still thought that there was little the Oasan contributed to the story in general, i.e., how had Peter interactions with them changed him. Maybe that's the point of the story - for Peter, his world, his home was with Bea. And the Oasans would forever remained mysterious in their ways.
Overall, I liked the descriptions used to talk about Oasis. Some points of contemplation made by these characters also fueled the story. At times the structure can seemed a bit lost. But, if you enjoy a more introspective narration, you'd enjoy the book. Fair warning though, there was the colonialist mentality that seemed to subserve Peter's approach in "helping others".
An atmospheric story, described in ways that was evocative which effectively transported you into an alien planet. The rain, in particular, captivated me - much as it did our MC Peter. This book was character-driven, in such that there really wasn't a clear conflict & solution; those exist in the implicit struggles brought about by Peter's interactions with others, especially with his Earth-bound wife. Peter was simplistic in some ways, with his attenuated dedication to his faith; the conflict derived from his struggles regarding his faith at the end. The narrative was gorgeous in some parts.
However, some of Peter's approaches and views could be frustrating, bordering on problematic.
That being said, there were hints of the 'white saviour' trope imbued with colonial justification into some parts of the story.
Aside from that, the bond Peter shared with the Oasans was beautiful, particularly in terms of their trust in him. I was especially moved by the goodbye scene. Perhaps this was due to his brain fog, or memory lapses, but I still thought that there was little the Oasan contributed to the story in general, i.e., how had Peter interactions with them changed him. Maybe that's the point of the story - for Peter, his world, his home was with Bea. And the Oasans would forever remained mysterious in their ways.
Overall, I liked the descriptions used to talk about Oasis. Some points of contemplation made by these characters also fueled the story. At times the structure can seemed a bit lost. But, if you enjoy a more introspective narration, you'd enjoy the book. Fair warning though, there was the colonialist mentality that seemed to subserve Peter's approach in "helping others".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Ableism, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Islamophobia, Racism, and Transphobia
Minor: Domestic abuse and Suicide
dulcie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Addiction
Minor: Self harm
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