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A review by stuartjrodriguez
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
5.0
Stunning. Gorgeously written, deeply poignant, richly speculative.
The best kind of pandemic novels aren’t about the virus itself, but are about how people—both individually and societally—respond to and evolve in the face of catastrophe. Society doesn’t collapse; it adapts, and this novel is concerned with the fact that even in the face of disaster, as we grieve, we still love, and we still find beauty and meaning in new rituals and in putting in the work. The Walking Dead this ain’t.
Reminded me in the best ways of [b:Disappearing Earth|34563821|Disappearing Earth|Julia Phillips|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541103539l/34563821._SY75_.jpg|55706556] (each chapter is a new, interconnected character), [b:To Paradise|57739876|To Paradise|Hanya Yanagihara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1628100349l/57739876._SY75_.jpg|90439453] (time-and-space spanning speculative fiction at its best), and [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680459872l/20170404._SX50_.jpg|28098716] (the poignant examination of how society responds in the face of a worldwide crisis). Easily the best novel I’ve read this year.
The best kind of pandemic novels aren’t about the virus itself, but are about how people—both individually and societally—respond to and evolve in the face of catastrophe. Society doesn’t collapse; it adapts, and this novel is concerned with the fact that even in the face of disaster, as we grieve, we still love, and we still find beauty and meaning in new rituals and in putting in the work. The Walking Dead this ain’t.
Reminded me in the best ways of [b:Disappearing Earth|34563821|Disappearing Earth|Julia Phillips|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541103539l/34563821._SY75_.jpg|55706556] (each chapter is a new, interconnected character), [b:To Paradise|57739876|To Paradise|Hanya Yanagihara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1628100349l/57739876._SY75_.jpg|90439453] (time-and-space spanning speculative fiction at its best), and [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680459872l/20170404._SX50_.jpg|28098716] (the poignant examination of how society responds in the face of a worldwide crisis). Easily the best novel I’ve read this year.