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A review by alisonburnis
Utopia by Heidi Sopinka
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In the 1970s Los Angeles art scene, Romy is an artist who works with light, married to Billy, another artist who’s starting to gain traction. They have a seven week old baby. But one night at a party, Romy falls off the roof and dies. The only witness is Billy.
Short months after she dies, Paz, another young artist who was a deep admirer of Romy’s, marries Billy, stepping into Romy’s life. But as she haunts Romy’s life, she starts to think there’s something terribly wrong around the circumstances of Romy’s death - and she sets out to find it.
I’m having a real run with books set in the 1970s this year, for whatever reason. Utopia was a slowly electrifying read, a story preoccupied with art and mystery. Sopinka’s writing here is deeply immersive and compelling, and her power in sharing the way Paz feels about the life she’s come to inhabit through her love for Flea, Romy and Billy’s daughter, was really well done. This was a slow burn for me: I was a bit hesitant as I started it but fell in love with the storytelling as I made my way through it.
Short months after she dies, Paz, another young artist who was a deep admirer of Romy’s, marries Billy, stepping into Romy’s life. But as she haunts Romy’s life, she starts to think there’s something terribly wrong around the circumstances of Romy’s death - and she sets out to find it.
I’m having a real run with books set in the 1970s this year, for whatever reason. Utopia was a slowly electrifying read, a story preoccupied with art and mystery. Sopinka’s writing here is deeply immersive and compelling, and her power in sharing the way Paz feels about the life she’s come to inhabit through her love for Flea, Romy and Billy’s daughter, was really well done. This was a slow burn for me: I was a bit hesitant as I started it but fell in love with the storytelling as I made my way through it.