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A review by owlmacabre
My Annihilation by Fuminori Nakamura
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Memory is a funny thing. Picking this book up for the first time a few years back, I recall being unimpressed with it. I gave it a two star ranking. Why, a few years on, I felt an urge to revisit it, I can't say for certain. The plot hadn't lingered with me, I could barely even remember what the novel was about. Yet I still felt a nagging to revisit it, and I'm glad that I did.
Some background, I adore and seek out Asian authors whenever I'm able to. Something about their writing style I find so unique and different from other works out there on the market. My favorite author in the world is Haruki Murakami, and while no means an expert on Asian literature, I'm always excited to read it.
Fuminori Nakamura was a name that came up of authors I should check out given this interest, and this was the first work of his that I read. I had done research into his body of works, what kind of genres he worked with, and what other people thought of his writing. I have found that nearly all of his books are very divisive - with a pretty balanced mix of love and hate. I was in the latter camp upon my first read through of My Annihilation.
On this read through, I felt I had opened my mind a lot more to his writing style, to the admittedly heavy topics that he has within his books, and found it to be a much more rewarding experience. It 'clicked' for me, and I'm eager to read his other books, most of which I haven't read. The only other book of his I've read is The Rope Artist, which will also be receiving a reevaluation.
There are so many books in the world to read. More than I'll ever be able to read in a lifetime. So revisiting books is usually reserved for my absolute favorite works. If something gets a three or lower from me, I rarely, if ever, try it again. But there was a need with this book, moreso than I've felt with other books I had rated poorly in the past. Doesn't mean I'll be doing the same with other novels I had originally not been keen on, but it does go to show that mood plays a key role for when you open up a book. I'm glad my brain decided this one needed a second look, and I hope that I'll continue to enjoy Nakamura's other books in the way I now enjoyed this one.
Some background, I adore and seek out Asian authors whenever I'm able to. Something about their writing style I find so unique and different from other works out there on the market. My favorite author in the world is Haruki Murakami, and while no means an expert on Asian literature, I'm always excited to read it.
Fuminori Nakamura was a name that came up of authors I should check out given this interest, and this was the first work of his that I read. I had done research into his body of works, what kind of genres he worked with, and what other people thought of his writing. I have found that nearly all of his books are very divisive - with a pretty balanced mix of love and hate. I was in the latter camp upon my first read through of My Annihilation.
On this read through, I felt I had opened my mind a lot more to his writing style, to the admittedly heavy topics that he has within his books, and found it to be a much more rewarding experience. It 'clicked' for me, and I'm eager to read his other books, most of which I haven't read. The only other book of his I've read is The Rope Artist, which will also be receiving a reevaluation.
There are so many books in the world to read. More than I'll ever be able to read in a lifetime. So revisiting books is usually reserved for my absolute favorite works. If something gets a three or lower from me, I rarely, if ever, try it again. But there was a need with this book, moreso than I've felt with other books I had rated poorly in the past. Doesn't mean I'll be doing the same with other novels I had originally not been keen on, but it does go to show that mood plays a key role for when you open up a book. I'm glad my brain decided this one needed a second look, and I hope that I'll continue to enjoy Nakamura's other books in the way I now enjoyed this one.