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A review by chelseamartinez
Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida
5.0
This book has a lot in common with You Shall Know Our Velocity and "Garden State." Both of which I really liked but I think just for its leanness I like this one the most.
Don't laugh at me for liking "Garden State" by the way. I was so bummed when I tried watching "Scrubs" later and found that it was such a hammy, crappy TV show.
Anyhow, this book is about family dying and about anger after random acts of violence, so actually it mashes up themes of both Dave Eggers's good books.
One thing I especially liked was that although the setting is fantastical, everything in the book feels very real. Vida also does a really good job of making all the people who are the subject of the protagonist's rage seem like whole, shaded characters.
I think the worst possible thing that can happen when reading a book is finding that an author isn't up to being serious about something - when they lose their narrative resolve somewhere in the middle. This book is funny at times, but I was consistently impressed with Vida's ability to make me care about a person, a place, a family who keep their distance without any false sappy notes.
Don't laugh at me for liking "Garden State" by the way. I was so bummed when I tried watching "Scrubs" later and found that it was such a hammy, crappy TV show.
Anyhow, this book is about family dying and about anger after random acts of violence, so actually it mashes up themes of both Dave Eggers's good books.
One thing I especially liked was that although the setting is fantastical, everything in the book feels very real. Vida also does a really good job of making all the people who are the subject of the protagonist's rage seem like whole, shaded characters.
I think the worst possible thing that can happen when reading a book is finding that an author isn't up to being serious about something - when they lose their narrative resolve somewhere in the middle. This book is funny at times, but I was consistently impressed with Vida's ability to make me care about a person, a place, a family who keep their distance without any false sappy notes.