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unicorn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Incest, Death, and Blood
Minor: Suicide attempt
sailormood's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Death
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Subtle and enthralling, UNDER THE PENDULUM SUN is the story of a young woman who follows her missionary brother to the lands of the fae, only to discover that the truth hurts more than any lie.
With a slight grin that never reaches its eyes, this book whispers, “I’m not trapped here with you, you’re trapped here with me.” It’s a mostly quiet story which has some elements of horror based around a visitor’s everyday routines under the inconstant light of the pendulum sun in the lands of the fae. It runs on conversation, small moments, and fridge-horror realizations as slowly learning what this place is casts a new light on everything we’ve seen done there.
The world-building is deep and beautiful. It’ll definitely help to have some familiarity with some version of the christian bible and various apocrypha, but their use and most references are contextualized and explained very well within the story so it should make sense without that. It mostly adds poignancy, and gets to the heart of some scenes faster if you already know the passages and parables being referenced. The setting and various denizens are slowly revealed as the story strolls along, saving wonders for calm moments of revelation.
Brief warning about triggering tropics:Due to a historical connection between descriptions of changelings and autistic people, the depiction of changelings in this book may be triggering to some readers. The book does not address autism specifically, but the particular list of "what makes a changeling inhuman" in this book has a high degree of overlap with allistic descriptions of autism and autistic people, and actively triggers disassociation in some of the characters. I don't know if the parallels were intended, but they are uncomfortable, especially given the fates of the characters involved.
With a slight grin that never reaches its eyes, this book whispers, “I’m not trapped here with you, you’re trapped here with me.” It’s a mostly quiet story which has some elements of horror based around a visitor’s everyday routines under the inconstant light of the pendulum sun in the lands of the fae. It runs on conversation, small moments, and fridge-horror realizations as slowly learning what this place is casts a new light on everything we’ve seen done there.
The world-building is deep and beautiful. It’ll definitely help to have some familiarity with some version of the christian bible and various apocrypha, but their use and most references are contextualized and explained very well within the story so it should make sense without that. It mostly adds poignancy, and gets to the heart of some scenes faster if you already know the passages and parables being referenced. The setting and various denizens are slowly revealed as the story strolls along, saving wonders for calm moments of revelation.
Brief warning about triggering tropics:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Mental illness, Confinement, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal death
Minor: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Child death
CW for sexism, alcoholism, incest, emotional manipulation (backstory), mental illness, disassociation (graphic), confinement, body horror, suicidal thoughts, animal death, child death (backstory), murder, major character death, death.montereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
This book was such a surprise! It’s fabulously atmospheric and has some profound insights underneath its layers.
People have called it slow, but I thought it was full of mystery and suspense; even when it stagnated a bit, it was always fascinating enough to draw me back to it. It’s gothic and dreamlike and heavily influenced by the Bronte sisters. Arcadia is breathtaking and Ng’s descriptions of the fae are wonderfully decadent.
The story was very clever, though I did sometimes feel that “clever” was a bit of a shallow tone for the plot to take in a book that is otherwise so unafraid of the inexplicable and the grotesque. It’s pretty much the only thing holding the book at 4 stars for me; somehow it struck me as both pat and unresolved. But we needed the tight plot as an anchor, I suppose, or we’d float around Arcadia until we rot, just like sea whales.
Under the Pendulum Sun is deeply entwined with Christianity, but it felt, to use Pam Grossman’s words, ‘reverently irreverent.’ To use Donna Haraway’s words, it is “more faithful as blasphemy is faithful, than as reverent worship and identification. Blasphemy has always seemed to require taking things very seriously.” As a non-Christian from a Catholic culture, I don’t exactly turn to scripture for guidance, but there are a few topics that Christian ideas have impacted for me forever—forgiveness among them. I always thought of forgiveness as something applied to the past: you are forgiven (or you forgive yourself) for “sins” over and done with. Yet as I realized recently in conversation with a friend, that doesn’t really leave room for imperfection. This book reminded me that it is more powerful to face the darkness as it is happening, as it is a part of me, and to be aware of it without expecting myself to evolve overnight. Forgiveness is ongoing.
As you may have worked out by now, some knowledge of Genesis and other major Bible passages will be helpful when reading, but I found the book engaging even as someone with only a cursory knowledge of the Bible.
Under the Pendulum Sun is not for everyone; it is unsettling. There are some pretty disturbing plot developments and the characters are not likeable a lot of the time. They face a darkness that is deep and for a lot of readers it will be ugly. This discomfort is deliberate. I thought it was absolutely worth it, but if you’re worried, maybe check out some spoiler reviews to make sure you’re ready.
I seriously contemplated putting this book on my favourites shelf. It will stay with me for a long time. I look forward to reading what Ng will put out next.
(Also, A+ cover!)
People have called it slow, but I thought it was full of mystery and suspense; even when it stagnated a bit, it was always fascinating enough to draw me back to it. It’s gothic and dreamlike and heavily influenced by the Bronte sisters. Arcadia is breathtaking and Ng’s descriptions of the fae are wonderfully decadent.
The story was very clever, though I did sometimes feel that “clever” was a bit of a shallow tone for the plot to take in a book that is otherwise so unafraid of the inexplicable and the grotesque. It’s pretty much the only thing holding the book at 4 stars for me; somehow it struck me as both pat and unresolved. But we needed the tight plot as an anchor, I suppose, or we’d float around Arcadia until we rot, just like sea whales.
Under the Pendulum Sun is deeply entwined with Christianity, but it felt, to use Pam Grossman’s words, ‘reverently irreverent.’ To use Donna Haraway’s words, it is “more faithful as blasphemy is faithful, than as reverent worship and identification. Blasphemy has always seemed to require taking things very seriously.” As a non-Christian from a Catholic culture, I don’t exactly turn to scripture for guidance, but there are a few topics that Christian ideas have impacted for me forever—forgiveness among them. I always thought of forgiveness as something applied to the past: you are forgiven (or you forgive yourself) for “sins” over and done with. Yet as I realized recently in conversation with a friend, that doesn’t really leave room for imperfection. This book reminded me that it is more powerful to face the darkness as it is happening, as it is a part of me, and to be aware of it without expecting myself to evolve overnight. Forgiveness is ongoing.
As you may have worked out by now, some knowledge of Genesis and other major Bible passages will be helpful when reading, but I found the book engaging even as someone with only a cursory knowledge of the Bible.
Under the Pendulum Sun is not for everyone; it is unsettling. There are some pretty disturbing plot developments and the characters are not likeable a lot of the time. They face a darkness that is deep and for a lot of readers it will be ugly. This discomfort is deliberate. I thought it was absolutely worth it, but if you’re worried, maybe check out some spoiler reviews to make sure you’re ready.
I seriously contemplated putting this book on my favourites shelf. It will stay with me for a long time. I look forward to reading what Ng will put out next.
(Also, A+ cover!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Incest
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