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ktrecs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
2.25
I think, with very few changes, I would have really loved this book.
In fact, I was pretty sure it was a 5 star book right up until the 80% mark or so - that's when the plot started to outstretch my suspended disbelief and the main character started to outlast my patience enough to outweigh the prose. Because that really is what hooked me here; this book is chilling and melancholy in all the right ways, moving slowly and inevitably - much like a glacier in fact, about much more underneath than it seems to be.
But for a book that's about a mass extinction event, it doesn't really seem to be about that, does it? Not that this usually bothers me in the scifi category, normally I like the unexpected, but I guess I expected more - more science, more world building, and at the very least, with that ending, more ofexactly how Franny intends to change things . More, even, of the moral quandary of being a fisherman in a near future where there are no fish. I certainly don't want the crew villainized by any means - there is no ethical consumption under capitalism after all - but it really just seemed to me that many of the premises in this book weren't followed through in the execution of the novel.
I also expected Franny's wanderlust to go one of two ways - clinically or supernaturally. It's clear Franny herself sees herself, not as flighty or adventurous, which might simply be her personality, but fundamentally driven to leave, and the narrative seems to back her argument by tracing it back through her matriarchal line. If it is deeply ingrained, the question of whether this comes from her trauma or if there really is a touch of magic in her bloodline is certainly one that kept me turning the pages - but in the end, there's no power in not naming her suffering, only uncertainty and noncommitance. Again it felt like an incomplete sentence, a train of thought derailed.
There were also several plot points that seemed to me to stretch the limits of even my capacity for suspended disbelief, not the least of which is how Franny cleaved the crew of the Saghani to her so quickly and so completely. And Franny herself, once the primary source of her grief and guilt was revealed, lost the benefit of my sympathetic curiosity. Call me heartless, but I really expected a more climactic tragedy;a car crash seems like a really simple way to explain her wandering out of the snow in bare feet, especially given that it was posed as such a mystery .
But what it does well, this book does spectacularly. The prose is haunting, aching and emotional, and despite my disappointments I'm still glad I read this book.
In fact, I was pretty sure it was a 5 star book right up until the 80% mark or so - that's when the plot started to outstretch my suspended disbelief and the main character started to outlast my patience enough to outweigh the prose. Because that really is what hooked me here; this book is chilling and melancholy in all the right ways, moving slowly and inevitably - much like a glacier in fact, about much more underneath than it seems to be.
But for a book that's about a mass extinction event, it doesn't really seem to be about that, does it? Not that this usually bothers me in the scifi category, normally I like the unexpected, but I guess I expected more - more science, more world building, and at the very least, with that ending, more of
I also expected Franny's wanderlust to go one of two ways - clinically or supernaturally. It's clear Franny herself sees herself, not as flighty or adventurous, which might simply be her personality, but fundamentally driven to leave, and the narrative seems to back her argument by tracing it back through her matriarchal line. If it is deeply ingrained, the question of whether this comes from her trauma or if there really is a touch of magic in her bloodline is certainly one that kept me turning the pages - but in the end, there's no power in not naming her suffering, only uncertainty and noncommitance. Again it felt like an incomplete sentence, a train of thought derailed.
There were also several plot points that seemed to me to stretch the limits of even my capacity for suspended disbelief, not the least of which is how Franny cleaved the crew of the Saghani to her so quickly and so completely. And Franny herself, once the primary source of her grief and guilt was revealed, lost the benefit of my sympathetic curiosity. Call me heartless, but I really expected a more climactic tragedy;
But what it does well, this book does spectacularly. The prose is haunting, aching and emotional, and despite my disappointments I'm still glad I read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, and Death of parent
babblingbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So sad and hopeful and heart breaking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Cancer
The sexual assault tag is for an attempted sexual assault, and there is some victim blaming by other characters towards the protagonist. In addition to the Suicidal Thoughts tag there is an attempted suicide which is described in some detail. The cancer mention is VERY brief, a side character explains why she shaved her hair, to fundraise for a cancer charity.andrewbop's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content
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