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A review by thepurplebookwyrm
Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This was a great re-read!
Vandermeer's prose was lovely and evocative – as it usually is. I loved Borne, the 'creature-person' itself, and the relationship the book's protagonist, Rachel, developed with it. Borne's world-building, and weird fiction 'vibes', were both vividly realised and possessed of a certain melancholy quality - tinged with horror of course – that really worked for me. There was effective and moving theming on ecology, 'ecocide', grief, memory, identity, and even love, in its own way. All of that was more on the subtler side of things, which also worked for me.
I really liked Rachel and Wick's relationship this time around; something about it really spoke to me. I found the story's strong emotional beats very effective as well, and shed a few tears by the end of it.
So yeah, I enjoyed Borne as much as, if not more than the first time I read it, seven years ago now (time sure does fly, dayum). 🙂