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Now this was an experience.
And I say this in the best way because I've never before read a book five times through (yes, five!), and gotten a new perspective of the story each time. I found this book, as I find many of my books these days, through 'BookTok,' which can be as harsh and discouraging as it can be comfortable and enlightening. If, like me, you have come to goodreads to get a more positive perspective past "it's interesting, but..." I really hope this review does that for you, because I was more than pleasantly surprised after hearing quite a bit of negativity surrounding 'S', particularly its ending.
'S' is a book within a book - when you (literally) cut open the sleeve, you are greeted with what appears to be an old library book titled 'Ship of Theseus.' If you are familiar with the paradox you can immediately imagine how many layers this story has. The book is annotated with notes from two college students, Jen and Eric, as they swap SoT back and forth in an attempt to solve the mystery of the author, a man (or is it?) named V.M Straka, along with the mysteries of each other - and yes, there is a love story involved ;)
I describe 'S' as an experience because along with SoT, Jen and Eric's notes are colour coded - 4 sets of notes and conversations from different times plus pencil notes from Eric's first few readings of the book. I've heard of many ways to work through 'S', from page-by-page to chapter-by-chapter, all the notes at once to going by colour. The way I did it was by reading SoT all the way through first, followed by J+E's notes in order - I followed the way this blog suggests and it worked perfectly for me: https://www.booksaremythirdplace.com/articles/how-to-read-s-aka-ship-of-theseus (this blog also links another website that tells you the pages of the inserts in case they slip out - which they almost certainly will.
To review Ship of Theseus on its own is difficult, as it is written to be a part of the mysteries of V.M Straka. I'll admit I was weary going into this, my love for romance made me want to jump straight into Jen and Eric's lives, and I had read a few reviews that had convinced me that you just have to get through SoT to get to the good stuff. But I am here to tell you now not to listen to any of that! I thoroughly enjoyed Ship of Theseus, a story of a man who has woken up with no recollection of who or where he is, only knowing that he is drawn to the water. While this story can get a little confusing, seemingly littered with metaphors that you don't yet understand, have faith and enjoy the gorgeous imagery, because I can assure you that you will get most of your answers if you are patient. And be sure to pay attention the footnotes as you read.
Now, to Jen + Eric. Ugh, they're just so loveable! The version of SoT the reader has come into possession of is Eric's copy, although he did steal it from his high school library, so is it really his...? Anyway, Jen finds it in the University library where she works, reads it, loves it, and writes a few notes of her own and a message to Eric about not being able to put it down and having some questions about Straka. Eric replies, and we're off with the second layer of 'S'. Without giving away any spoilers, J+E work their way through the book numerous times, uncovering secrets and mysteries about Straka and his translator. The beauty here is that while we learn more and more about Straka, we also get to see the two open up and confide in one another both about the mysteries and about their own personal struggles. And, as I mentioned, some cute banter and romance cuts through the intense mystery to create a very well-rounded story. Oh, and don't be discouraged by the fact there is two of them writing, they both have very distinct penmanship, so you won't ever be confused about whose handwriting is whose.
One of my favourite things about 'S' is that it is never really over. While J+E decode many of the ciphers scattered throughout the book, there are a few things that Abrams and Dorst have left for you to figure out yourself. The only thing I will say to that is this: don't loose the Eötvös wheel, you'll need it later :) Finishing 'S' is not the end of the mystery, and if you dig hard enough, you will find extra online tidbits that will keep you thinking about the book for weeks after turning the final page (for the fifth time). When you're done, check out this website for theories and answers from the community: https://whoisstraka.wordpress.com/the-ship-of-theseus-by-v-m-straka-a-beginners-guide-to-reading-s/
I highly encourage anyone curious about books with unique formatting to give 'S' a try, and although it may seem like a challenge, it is absolutely worth tackling, even if you need to read SoT and then have a breather before essentially reading a whole other book! Good luck :)
And I say this in the best way because I've never before read a book five times through (yes, five!), and gotten a new perspective of the story each time. I found this book, as I find many of my books these days, through 'BookTok,' which can be as harsh and discouraging as it can be comfortable and enlightening. If, like me, you have come to goodreads to get a more positive perspective past "it's interesting, but..." I really hope this review does that for you, because I was more than pleasantly surprised after hearing quite a bit of negativity surrounding 'S', particularly its ending.
'S' is a book within a book - when you (literally) cut open the sleeve, you are greeted with what appears to be an old library book titled 'Ship of Theseus.' If you are familiar with the paradox you can immediately imagine how many layers this story has. The book is annotated with notes from two college students, Jen and Eric, as they swap SoT back and forth in an attempt to solve the mystery of the author, a man (or is it?) named V.M Straka, along with the mysteries of each other - and yes, there is a love story involved ;)
I describe 'S' as an experience because along with SoT, Jen and Eric's notes are colour coded - 4 sets of notes and conversations from different times plus pencil notes from Eric's first few readings of the book. I've heard of many ways to work through 'S', from page-by-page to chapter-by-chapter, all the notes at once to going by colour. The way I did it was by reading SoT all the way through first, followed by J+E's notes in order - I followed the way this blog suggests and it worked perfectly for me: https://www.booksaremythirdplace.com/articles/how-to-read-s-aka-ship-of-theseus (this blog also links another website that tells you the pages of the inserts in case they slip out - which they almost certainly will.
To review Ship of Theseus on its own is difficult, as it is written to be a part of the mysteries of V.M Straka. I'll admit I was weary going into this, my love for romance made me want to jump straight into Jen and Eric's lives, and I had read a few reviews that had convinced me that you just have to get through SoT to get to the good stuff. But I am here to tell you now not to listen to any of that! I thoroughly enjoyed Ship of Theseus, a story of a man who has woken up with no recollection of who or where he is, only knowing that he is drawn to the water. While this story can get a little confusing, seemingly littered with metaphors that you don't yet understand, have faith and enjoy the gorgeous imagery, because I can assure you that you will get most of your answers if you are patient. And be sure to pay attention the footnotes as you read.
Now, to Jen + Eric. Ugh, they're just so loveable! The version of SoT the reader has come into possession of is Eric's copy, although he did steal it from his high school library, so is it really his...? Anyway, Jen finds it in the University library where she works, reads it, loves it, and writes a few notes of her own and a message to Eric about not being able to put it down and having some questions about Straka. Eric replies, and we're off with the second layer of 'S'. Without giving away any spoilers, J+E work their way through the book numerous times, uncovering secrets and mysteries about Straka and his translator. The beauty here is that while we learn more and more about Straka, we also get to see the two open up and confide in one another both about the mysteries and about their own personal struggles. And, as I mentioned, some cute banter and romance cuts through the intense mystery to create a very well-rounded story. Oh, and don't be discouraged by the fact there is two of them writing, they both have very distinct penmanship, so you won't ever be confused about whose handwriting is whose.
One of my favourite things about 'S' is that it is never really over. While J+E decode many of the ciphers scattered throughout the book, there are a few things that Abrams and Dorst have left for you to figure out yourself. The only thing I will say to that is this: don't loose the Eötvös wheel, you'll need it later :) Finishing 'S' is not the end of the mystery, and if you dig hard enough, you will find extra online tidbits that will keep you thinking about the book for weeks after turning the final page (for the fifth time). When you're done, check out this website for theories and answers from the community: https://whoisstraka.wordpress.com/the-ship-of-theseus-by-v-m-straka-a-beginners-guide-to-reading-s/
I highly encourage anyone curious about books with unique formatting to give 'S' a try, and although it may seem like a challenge, it is absolutely worth tackling, even if you need to read SoT and then have a breather before essentially reading a whole other book! Good luck :)