Scan barcode
A review by innerweststreetlibrarian
Permafrost by SJ Norman
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
These stories are unlike anything I’ve read before.
Creepy, weird, a little confusing at times but also managing to pull something beautiful out of banal or frightening situations.
You don’t get a good sense of who the narrator is in most stories which gives an unusual sense of intimacy, you see the world through their eyes, their memories, their longings and fears, but never get an external perspective of who they are.
I think I’ll be pondering the collection for a long time, but “Unspeakable” was the standout for me. I have visited places with horrifying histories as a tourist many times too, I don’t fully understand the compulsion to do so but I felt like this comes close to articulating my own thoughts, being in these places where history sits very heavily, in close proximity to commercial tourism activities. There was a particularly challenging passage about eating ice creams at Auschwitz, that made me realise I really don’t know where Australia’s historical massacre sites are. I have more learning to do.
A lot of this book reads like a much better written version of my own internal monologue, or mimics the weird surrealism of my own dreams, yet from a totally different perspective and lived experience. It’s quite remarkable, very confronting, and I might revisit this review again after I’ve had more time to think about it.
Creepy, weird, a little confusing at times but also managing to pull something beautiful out of banal or frightening situations.
You don’t get a good sense of who the narrator is in most stories which gives an unusual sense of intimacy, you see the world through their eyes, their memories, their longings and fears, but never get an external perspective of who they are.
I think I’ll be pondering the collection for a long time, but “Unspeakable” was the standout for me. I have visited places with horrifying histories as a tourist many times too, I don’t fully understand the compulsion to do so but I felt like this comes close to articulating my own thoughts, being in these places where history sits very heavily, in close proximity to commercial tourism activities. There was a particularly challenging passage about eating ice creams at Auschwitz, that made me realise I really don’t know where Australia’s historical massacre sites are. I have more learning to do.
A lot of this book reads like a much better written version of my own internal monologue, or mimics the weird surrealism of my own dreams, yet from a totally different perspective and lived experience. It’s quite remarkable, very confronting, and I might revisit this review again after I’ve had more time to think about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Genocide, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Violence