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A review by sugarpal
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A stunning follow-up to The Fifth Season. Jemisen’s world remains intricate and immersive, her writing highly skilled, though her pacing is on the slower side. Also, I would give a strong content warning for an abusive relationship, specifically child abuse. Jemisen worked as a psychologist and therefore has a horrifyingly real perspective on the psyches of both abuser and abused.
Unlike the first book with its three perspectives, this novel mostly follows two POVs, the main one written in second person like in The Fifth Season, the other in third, with some interludes. (I did find the second person narration more intrusive in this installment, but as I suspected there is a narrative reason for it, so.) Slight spoiler concerning the content warning: one perspective is that of the abuser, the other of their victim, so you really see both sides of the story. The telling rang absolutely true to me, because Jemisen is incredibly sympathetic to both characters, but that’s also why I think this book could be hurtful to someone with trauma in that area. But then, it’s just an incredibly dark book. I advise caution.
On with the actual review, then. Obviously, one of the main focuses of this book is abuse, especially child abuse. Jemisen really examines the abusive cycle, how victims become abusers, how they imitate what they know, how people can do terrible things to people they really do love, and that just because they do them out of love doesn’t make them excusable. I really love (and hate) how balanced Jemisen is with her characters, how she sympathizes with them but never sugarcoats things, and lets the reader decide what they can condemn or forgive. And when, exactly, does a person change enough to redeem themself? Can they ever –– can they choose to become someone new?
Of course, because this is an N.K. Jemisen book, there’s so much more. Between the usual sci-fi/fantasy considerations of morality, murder and survival and sacrifice, Jemisen also thoroughly examines the natures of bigotry and oppression, exploitation and dehumanization. Though these subjects are often touched on superficially in stories, as an African American woman, Jemisen brings an incredibly important and urgent perspective, and she makes it personal. Despite this trilogy’s setting in a far-future post-racial survivalist dystopia, it is a thorough indictment of the status quo.
I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as the first, but then that bar was sky-high. Still an incredible novel — I highly recommend.
Unlike the first book with its three perspectives, this novel mostly follows two POVs, the main one written in second person like in The Fifth Season, the other in third, with some interludes. (I did find the second person narration more intrusive in this installment, but as I suspected there is a narrative reason for it, so.) Slight spoiler concerning the content warning: one perspective is that of the abuser, the other of their victim, so you really see both sides of the story. The telling rang absolutely true to me, because Jemisen is incredibly sympathetic to both characters, but that’s also why I think this book could be hurtful to someone with trauma in that area. But then, it’s just an incredibly dark book. I advise caution.
On with the actual review, then. Obviously, one of the main focuses of this book is abuse, especially child abuse. Jemisen really examines the abusive cycle, how victims become abusers, how they imitate what they know, how people can do terrible things to people they really do love, and that just because they do them out of love doesn’t make them excusable. I really love (and hate) how balanced Jemisen is with her characters, how she sympathizes with them but never sugarcoats things, and lets the reader decide what they can condemn or forgive. And when, exactly, does a person change enough to redeem themself? Can they ever –– can they choose to become someone new?
Of course, because this is an N.K. Jemisen book, there’s so much more. Between the usual sci-fi/fantasy considerations of morality, murder and survival and sacrifice, Jemisen also thoroughly examines the natures of bigotry and oppression, exploitation and dehumanization. Though these subjects are often touched on superficially in stories, as an African American woman, Jemisen brings an incredibly important and urgent perspective, and she makes it personal. Despite this trilogy’s setting in a far-future post-racial survivalist dystopia, it is a thorough indictment of the status quo.
I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as the first, but then that bar was sky-high. Still an incredible novel — I highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Child death, Murder, Slavery, and Violence