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megelizabeth's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
"I was angry at everything, especially thinking that everyone else would have a lifetime of sunrises and sunsets, while mine were limited."
This is twisty, pacy, and incredibly thought-provoking. There's an interesting mix of characters and plotlines - some stronger than others, and I personally would've much preferred not to read from Christopher's perspective, but it was fascinating to see the myriad of ways in which a scientific discovery can affect lives and relationships and, essentially, social order and humanity. I predicted some things but not others, and I definitely found myself invested and eager to find out what was going to happen next and how things were going to develop and intersect.
I did, unfortunately, have a few issues with this book, mostly towards the end. The writing of some of the female characters feels a bit dodgy at times, and the only brown characters end up being pretty much just a plot device, which is incredibly frustrating and really something we should have moved beyond. There's also another thing that happens with the plot towards the end which to me felt like a huge cop-out and which I really wish had been handled differently. On a different note, there are also quite a lot of editing errors, which always takes me out of a story a bit.
As well as all of this, I was also somehow expecting just a bit more from this book? It's definitely dark and twisted and has some interesting things to say, but I wasn't as shocked or thrilled as I expected to be. It's been on my radar for years, so I'm glad I finally got around to reading it, and I did enjoy it, but just not quite as much as I would have liked to.
Definitely check content warnings, as this book is extremely graphic in places. Also be warned if, like me, you're at all squeamish with anything to do with eyes - there's one particular scene which I'm sure will haunt me for the rest of my life!
This is twisty, pacy, and incredibly thought-provoking. There's an interesting mix of characters and plotlines - some stronger than others, and I personally would've much preferred not to read from Christopher's perspective, but it was fascinating to see the myriad of ways in which a scientific discovery can affect lives and relationships and, essentially, social order and humanity. I predicted some things but not others, and I definitely found myself invested and eager to find out what was going to happen next and how things were going to develop and intersect.
I did, unfortunately, have a few issues with this book, mostly towards the end. The writing of some of the female characters feels a bit dodgy at times, and the only brown characters end up being pretty much just a plot device, which is incredibly frustrating and really something we should have moved beyond. There's also another thing that happens with the plot towards the end which to me felt like a huge cop-out and which I really wish had been handled differently. On a different note, there are also quite a lot of editing errors, which always takes me out of a story a bit.
As well as all of this, I was also somehow expecting just a bit more from this book? It's definitely dark and twisted and has some interesting things to say, but I wasn't as shocked or thrilled as I expected to be. It's been on my radar for years, so I'm glad I finally got around to reading it, and I did enjoy it, but just not quite as much as I would have liked to.
Definitely check content warnings, as this book is extremely graphic in places. Also be warned if, like me, you're at all squeamish with anything to do with eyes - there's one particular scene which I'm sure will haunt me for the rest of my life!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Murder, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Miscarriage
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