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A review by nonsensicaljourney
Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro
4.0
This book is all at once unique and contemplative. It tracks the story of Xochitl, a cuentista who has the power and duty to absorb anyone's story in a process akin to Catholic confession and "give it back" to Solis, the sun god. It's set in either a dystopian future or a sci fi world, in which everything was destroyed by the sun and the world is a desert. It's written as one big story told to the sun god. It deals with people's "stories" and how they are told and kept safe. It's full of well-used "they/their" pronouns, and it treats queer relationships as normal and doesn't even question their queerness. On top of all this, the story is told about half in Spanish (which I don't understand), but once you got over the initial hurdle of understanding, they were integrated extremely well into the story and added to the authenticity of the world it was based in.
The plot was a very slow build, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't all-consuming. I knew that each time I picked up the book, every bit I read would have some kind of slow character development at the very least. Xochitl was a good character, but not overly compelling. What compelled me the most about her character was her relationship with Emilia, which I absolutely loved. I also didn't see the very final resolution coming, but I was very happy with the way the author resolved the plot relating to all the stories coming alive and haunting the characters in the desert.
This book is very dark at times, and not a light read at all, but it's a book about freedom, love, religion and stories. It's about finding yourself and coming to peace with who you are and what your journey has been up until now. It is about the journey, not the destination. Oshiro executes their vision of this book very well. It's not for everyone, but many of the aspects should be highly commended. I hope this book becomes a classic in its genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The plot was a very slow build, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't all-consuming. I knew that each time I picked up the book, every bit I read would have some kind of slow character development at the very least. Xochitl was a good character, but not overly compelling. What compelled me the most about her character was her relationship with Emilia, which I absolutely loved. I also didn't see the very final resolution coming, but I was very happy with the way the author resolved the plot relating to all the stories coming alive and haunting the characters in the desert.
This book is very dark at times, and not a light read at all, but it's a book about freedom, love, religion and stories. It's about finding yourself and coming to peace with who you are and what your journey has been up until now. It is about the journey, not the destination. Oshiro executes their vision of this book very well. It's not for everyone, but many of the aspects should be highly commended. I hope this book becomes a classic in its genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!