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camillac17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Murder, and Suicide attempt
dunecello's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I did my dissertation in neuroscience on the cellular basis of learning, and was impressed by Crouch's convincing job of describing experiments that would be on the cutting edge of this field. As for the rest of the science in this novel, suspending disbelief is required, but is certainly worth it. Keeping track of what was going on was a good brain exercise and it paid off in spades as the story became more and more complex and the stakes became incredibly high. When things got crazy, I found myself flying through the pages in excitement.
This novel reads like an action movie, and I'd love to see it on the big screen. Anyone who enjoyed PKD's We Can Remember It for You Wholesale (Total Recall) and/or Ted Chiang's Story of Your Life (Arrival) should surely check this one out.
Graphic: Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Gun violence, Dementia, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
isacarvalho91's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Violence, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Death, War, Dementia, Suicide, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
josiah17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The characters were great. Crouch seems to have mastered the ability to maximize characterization in a short page count and make you feel attached. The plot also keeps your attention. It's engaging in the way that it makes the reader ask questions and explores the concept of memory. But it also felt increasingly convoluted as I read. There's a certain point in the book (you'll know if you've read it) where things kind of explode and overlap. There's a lot to keep track of. And it feels somewhat overwhelming the more I read.
I'm also not sure how I feel about how suicide was handled in this book. It felt rash.
But even with those criticisms, Crouch still had me feeling emotional by the end of the book.
"Life with a cheat code isn't life. Our existence isn't something to be engineered or optimized for the avoidance of pain. That's what it is to be human--the beauty and the pain, each meaningless without the other."
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
casualk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
Moderate: Grief and Child death
Minor: Suicide attempt, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
tallywinkle's review against another edition
3.5
Crouch is very good at making the book feel like an action movie.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mass/school shootings
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Car accident, Death of parent, and Dementia
Minor: Sexual content
jj_tj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, War, and Car accident
karenreadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Dementia, War, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt
icieri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Child death, Chronic illness, Dementia, War, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Self harm, Murder, Suicide, Car accident, and Mental illness