A review by hanarama
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

On the generation ship Matilda, Aster is a healer and one of the slave-caste that makes up the lowest rungs of the ship's society. When the death of the ship's sovereign reveals strange links to Aster's long dead mother, she seeks to unravel the mystery left in her mother's journals while struggling against the oppression against her and her people. 

I really loved the coding of Aster as neurodivergent. Solomon characterizes her as unwavering and immensely intelligent while also traits that read as neurodivergent. She stims as she navigates the ship, she fixated, and she has difficulty with metaphors. Solomon has real skill in creating characters that feel like complete people. 

This is a really intense book. As would be expected of a sci-fi slave story, there aren't a lot of "happy" moments. Moments of respite maybe, but not really any truly happy moments and the book can feel pretty bleak at times. The plot is not as tightly written as it perhaps could have been at the end, but Solomon still makes powerful statements on systemic racism and acts of resistance.
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