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A review by lilifane
The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Wow, this book was wild. WILD!
I haven't read a book like this before, and it really made an impression on me.
The investigation in the beginning has True Detective Season 1 vibes. I liked that, although the story then went into a totally different direction.
There is time travel, which I always love. But the way it's done here is so unique and also complex (and sometimes complicated, it's hard to wrap one's head around). I loved how the author used actual scientific research and theories to explain things, though. The direction the plot takes, phew.... did I mention it was wild? Because it's really mind-blowing sometimes.
There are mysterious scenes, there are action packed scenes, there are reflective scenes, there are gruesome scenes, there are unbelievable scenes. And at the same time, there is this melancholic atmosphere that dominates the whole book. It got really depressing at some point tbh.
I really liked the protagonist btw. She's very cool, what she does for a living (wild!) and the way her disability is portrayed in the book... I really, really liked that. Most of the time, when a character has a disability, it's either not effecting the plot at all, or it's dominating the plot. But here... it was just there, and we got really detailed every day experiences of a disabled person. The disability affected the plot sometimes, but it didn't dominate it.
There were some action-packed scenes that were described like movie scenes, and this made me wish for a movie adaptation. At this point, I have to mention the 90s pop culture reference because as a 90s kid myself, I had a lot of fun with them. But I also loved how thought-provoking the story is. There is so much to think about and to discuss.
Although I think the ending was very satisfying, I'm not a fan of the epilogue. It somehow felt like a punch in the gut to me to have these complex characters and then do THIS at the end. But then again, it is a great discussion point.
I'm glad I read this so slowly and had time to reflect on the different parts. This book will stay with me for a long time, mostly because I can't believe an author pulled something like this off. I have the most respect for Tom Sweterlitsch.
Do I recommend it? Yes, but it's definitely not an easy read and I don't think it's for everyone.
I haven't read a book like this before, and it really made an impression on me.
The investigation in the beginning has True Detective Season 1 vibes. I liked that, although the story then went into a totally different direction.
There is time travel, which I always love. But the way it's done here is so unique and also complex (and sometimes complicated, it's hard to wrap one's head around). I loved how the author used actual scientific research and theories to explain things, though. The direction the plot takes, phew.... did I mention it was wild? Because it's really mind-blowing sometimes.
There are mysterious scenes, there are action packed scenes, there are reflective scenes, there are gruesome scenes, there are unbelievable scenes. And at the same time, there is this melancholic atmosphere that dominates the whole book. It got really depressing at some point tbh.
I really liked the protagonist btw. She's very cool, what she does for a living (wild!) and the way her disability is portrayed in the book... I really, really liked that. Most of the time, when a character has a disability, it's either not effecting the plot at all, or it's dominating the plot. But here... it was just there, and we got really detailed every day experiences of a disabled person. The disability affected the plot sometimes, but it didn't dominate it.
There were some action-packed scenes that were described like movie scenes, and this made me wish for a movie adaptation. At this point, I have to mention the 90s pop culture reference because as a 90s kid myself, I had a lot of fun with them. But I also loved how thought-provoking the story is. There is so much to think about and to discuss.
Although I think the ending was very satisfying, I'm not a fan of the epilogue. It somehow felt like a punch in the gut to me to have these complex characters and then do THIS at the end. But then again, it is a great discussion point.
I'm glad I read this so slowly and had time to reflect on the different parts. This book will stay with me for a long time, mostly because I can't believe an author pulled something like this off. I have the most respect for Tom Sweterlitsch.
Do I recommend it? Yes, but it's definitely not an easy read and I don't think it's for everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Suicide, Vomit, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Cancer, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy