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A review by intorilex
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
4.0
Do you want to cry while reading? Then this is 100% the book for you. This series of interconnected stories explored the many ways that humans can grieve each other and themselves. Humanity faces a plague it cannot contain nor cure, and must grapple with the changing world that creates.
The author paints intimate portraits about how people choose to face death when they are powerless to change or stop it. This world includes luxury hotels that assist families in saying goodbye before they cremate their loved ones. A City of Laughter where young dying children can spend their last moments on roller coasters instead of wasting away in pain was the saddest part of the book for me.
“And what happens to us when we leave our world? Children were trained to answer, 'we become everything that we pass until we become the thing we created.”
The great character development and world building made me think of almost every intimate relationship that I've had in my life. The science fiction elements were well fleshed out and led to more answers about exactly led to this global plague then I was expecting. The only reason it took so long for me to finish was because I had to brace myself for the tears I knew this writing would inspire. The only reason this wasn't a five star read for me is because some of the characters did fall flat, but that didn't take away the many great elements of the book.
I would recommend this to readers who enjoy emotionally wrenching stories with fantastic sci-fi elements.
The author paints intimate portraits about how people choose to face death when they are powerless to change or stop it. This world includes luxury hotels that assist families in saying goodbye before they cremate their loved ones. A City of Laughter where young dying children can spend their last moments on roller coasters instead of wasting away in pain was the saddest part of the book for me.
“And what happens to us when we leave our world? Children were trained to answer, 'we become everything that we pass until we become the thing we created.”
The great character development and world building made me think of almost every intimate relationship that I've had in my life. The science fiction elements were well fleshed out and led to more answers about exactly led to this global plague then I was expecting. The only reason it took so long for me to finish was because I had to brace myself for the tears I knew this writing would inspire. The only reason this wasn't a five star read for me is because some of the characters did fall flat, but that didn't take away the many great elements of the book.
I would recommend this to readers who enjoy emotionally wrenching stories with fantastic sci-fi elements.