Scan barcode
A review by foxwish
The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A brilliant book starring an autistic, non-binary main character named Erigra that enters a relationship with the very determined Ranra.
The prose is excellent, you are thrown straight into the world and concepts are introduced as you go. Magic as a configuration of deep names and the community of ichidi (non-binary people) and their animal tokens were my favourite parts of the world.
Some of the Bird based swearing definitely took me out of the book because phrases like "Pluck it!" seem very silly to me, but swears where "God" is simply replaced with "Bird" are also common in this book and felt more natural to me.
It meant a lot to me to see Erigra struggle with sensory overload and communicating with others, as these are common struggles of autistic people and I loved seeing how they coped with these struggles by going to a place of comfort, tending to plants and creating poetry. I didn't realise before this that reading a book with an excellent autistic character would feel so validating.
The final act of this book impressed me, I did not expect certain plot points to happen and Lemberg had me in awe at the character development. I adored the ending as the themes of hope, community and mental health were combined beautifully.
Trans and autistic characters and experiences are central in this book, if that interests you at all then you should read this.
The prose is excellent, you are thrown straight into the world and concepts are introduced as you go. Magic as a configuration of deep names and the community of ichidi (non-binary people) and their animal tokens were my favourite parts of the world.
Some of the Bird based swearing definitely took me out of the book because phrases like "Pluck it!" seem very silly to me, but swears where "God" is simply replaced with "Bird" are also common in this book and felt more natural to me.
It meant a lot to me to see Erigra struggle with sensory overload and communicating with others, as these are common struggles of autistic people and I loved seeing how they coped with these struggles by going to a place of comfort, tending to plants and creating poetry. I didn't realise before this that reading a book with an excellent autistic character would feel so validating.
The final act of this book impressed me, I did not expect certain plot points to happen and Lemberg had me in awe at the character development. I adored the ending as the themes of hope, community and mental health were combined beautifully.
Trans and autistic characters and experiences are central in this book, if that interests you at all then you should read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Mental illness and Cursing
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual content