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tricapra's review
4.0
3.5 stars, but GoodReads still doesn't allow that. I don't understand all the bad reviews this got. I'm a bit biased in that I adore the other McHugh books I've read, but I thought the characters and world building were compelling. Perhaps I wasn't mislead by the description, as I went in completely blind. This definitely isn't a thriller, but there was a building palpable dread that permeated all of Caribe. Loved the world building, and I liked how unexceptional everyone was. Not my favorite McHugh, but still worth the read.
rebeccacider's review
3.0
This book didn't grab me until page 126, but I'm so enamored with China Mountain Zhang and McHugh's short fiction that I kept plodding along anyway.
McHugh does a great job creating an interesting near-future science fiction world and immersing readers in her characters' lives. David and Mayla spend the novel disoriented and traumatized. There's a definite pleasure reading about non-heroic characters dealing with tense situations in fumbling, human ways.
But the plot / pacing were muddled, and on top of it I suffered from false expectations - the back copy promised a "21st-century thriller" and "tropical adventure." (I don't know why I believe book jackets. Possibly a librarian bad habit.) I'm pretty sure adventure thrillers are supposed to be high concept; this novel wasn't high-concept at all, and often I felt a bit mired, watching the characters struggle moment by moment, not certain where the book was going or what the payoff was going to be.
If the novel had been more atmospheric or had a stronger narrative voice, it might have worked, but McHugh's understated, on-the-ground narration meant that it felt more like an intense but unwieldy fever dream. (China Mountain Zhang didn't even try to attempt novel-length pacing; instead it had a few related narratives, so this was her first published attempt.)
Sum up: Definitely a somewhat weak second novel, but was a fast, interesting read (after page 126!) and will certainly read more.
McHugh does a great job creating an interesting near-future science fiction world and immersing readers in her characters' lives. David and Mayla spend the novel disoriented and traumatized. There's a definite pleasure reading about non-heroic characters dealing with tense situations in fumbling, human ways.
But the plot / pacing were muddled, and on top of it I suffered from false expectations - the back copy promised a "21st-century thriller" and "tropical adventure." (I don't know why I believe book jackets. Possibly a librarian bad habit.) I'm pretty sure adventure thrillers are supposed to be high concept; this novel wasn't high-concept at all, and often I felt a bit mired, watching the characters struggle moment by moment, not certain where the book was going or what the payoff was going to be.
If the novel had been more atmospheric or had a stronger narrative voice, it might have worked, but McHugh's understated, on-the-ground narration meant that it felt more like an intense but unwieldy fever dream. (China Mountain Zhang didn't even try to attempt novel-length pacing; instead it had a few related narratives, so this was her first published attempt.)
Sum up: Definitely a somewhat weak second novel, but was a fast, interesting read (after page 126!) and will certainly read more.
eososray's review
1.0
It all started out good and about half way through it turned very strange indeed! I couldn't even finish the last 1/4 of the book!
jonmhansen's review
4.0
It's interesting. For those of you curious, title phrase appears on pg. 286.
lamusadelils's review
3.0
No es malo, pero tenía altas expectativas después de [b:China Mountain Zhang|836964|China Mountain Zhang|Maureen F. McHugh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346669090s/836964.jpg|1607617]
operafloozy's review
3.0
This is my least favorite by this author, though that's not saying much... I just loved the other books I've read by her (China Mountain Zhang, Mission Child, Nekropolis) a lot more. The first half has still really good: McHugh is wonderful at creating a believable setting and inhabiting it with interesting characters. But this setting seemed even less fantastic and the plot even more aimless than usual, and by the end, I was just finishing it to finish it.
kasss's review
3.0
I don’t want to repeat what everyone else has already said about this book, but: it’s not China Mountain Zhang. It feels unfair to compare any book to that absolute master piece but I can't help it.
I liked Half the Day is Night alright but I wasn’t blown away by it. The world building was quite interesting, I wasn’t crazy about the characters but they were solid, and the story was fine but perhaps not really my thing.
The writing style wasn’t that far removed from China Mountain Zhang and I actually enjoyed it, but damn where was the editor in all of this?! It could’ve used some polishing and no book should have this many mistakes.
And reminder for myself: helium voices. All of it.
I liked Half the Day is Night alright but I wasn’t blown away by it. The world building was quite interesting, I wasn’t crazy about the characters but they were solid, and the story was fine but perhaps not really my thing.
The writing style wasn’t that far removed from China Mountain Zhang and I actually enjoyed it, but damn where was the editor in all of this?! It could’ve used some polishing and no book should have this many mistakes.
Spoiler
Also... Kim Park? Really?And reminder for myself: helium voices. All of it.
survivalisinsufficient's review
3.0
I love her, but this isn't her best...read Mothers and Other Monsters instead. I love it so much, I gave a copy to my grandmother. How she felt about it, I don't know, but it's the principle. Anyway, I did appreciate the world she created here, but the story felt choppy.
wealhtheow's review
3.0
In the underground city of Caribe in the near-future, Mayla is in the midst of tense financial negotiations. Her insurance agency requires her to have a bodyguard, so she hires David Dai, a former French soldier with an injured knee and a veiled case of PTSD. After terrorists approach David for help and then make an attempt on Mayla's life, David vanishes into Caribe's underworld. Mayla soon follows.
Starts wonderfully, but peters out into mind-numbing quotidian detail and plots that the main characters are affected by but don't understand. I wished the characters' emotions were a little less tamped down; even though it felt believable, it also made it hard to care about what happened to them. Still, an excellent and almost too-realistic rendering of alienation and the tension of living in a corrupt society with unspoken, unclear rules.
Starts wonderfully, but peters out into mind-numbing quotidian detail and plots that the main characters are affected by but don't understand. I wished the characters' emotions were a little less tamped down; even though it felt believable, it also made it hard to care about what happened to them. Still, an excellent and almost too-realistic rendering of alienation and the tension of living in a corrupt society with unspoken, unclear rules.
vladdbad's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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