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A review by aruarian_melody
S. by Doug Dorst, J.J. Abrams
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Okay, this was a wild ride and I loved the overall experience. Clearly this book isn't like most others and the 'reading experience' is a big part of its charm. I loved the tactile feeling of the fake library book and all the inserts (a plan on a napkin, postcards, letters, news articles, etc.). The book basically has three elements: 1) the 'fake' novel "The Ship of Theseus", 2) the mystery around the author of the novel, and 3) two readers trying to solve said mystery and communicating via handwritten texts in the margins of the novel.
I did not really care for element 2), which I think improved my reading experience (since I didn't try to solve the mystery alongside the readers and wasn't as bothered by open threads). The novel itself (element 1) was fine with some great parts and some not so great ones. But, I think it was actually good to have the novel not be too complex/consistently demanding attention. Maybe that was even intentional to give more space to the other elements. At times it felt like the different elements intentionally balanced how complex they were at a time to give more space to the others.
What made me love the book apart from the presentation/uniqueness was the third element - the conversation of the two readers in the margins. I loved how we got notes from four different time periods - the characters often responding to what they wrote earlier (love some self-reflection and character growth!).
There were a couple of things I would have preferred to get a clear answer on at the end of the book (for all three elements) but apparently the creative mind behind it isn't known for being good at conclusions (apparently he is behind the series Lost). While the ending fell a bit flat, I had a ton of fun reading this and I'm glad this unique book exists.
I did not really care for element 2), which I think improved my reading experience (since I didn't try to solve the mystery alongside the readers and wasn't as bothered by open threads). The novel itself (element 1) was fine with some great parts and some not so great ones. But, I think it was actually good to have the novel not be too complex/consistently demanding attention. Maybe that was even intentional to give more space to the other elements. At times it felt like the different elements intentionally balanced how complex they were at a time to give more space to the others.
What made me love the book apart from the presentation/uniqueness was the third element - the conversation of the two readers in the margins. I loved how we got notes from four different time periods - the characters often responding to what they wrote earlier (love some self-reflection and character growth!).
There were a couple of things I would have preferred to get a clear answer on at the end of the book (for all three elements) but apparently the creative mind behind it isn't known for being good at conclusions (apparently he is behind the series Lost). While the ending fell a bit flat, I had a ton of fun reading this and I'm glad this unique book exists.