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A review by erinflight
Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente
4.0
Like all of Catherynne Valente's books, this book is beautiful.
But the beauty in this book is... sharp, for lack of a better word. Every character in this book is broken and every element of beauty in the strange city we are shown glimpses of is tinged with pain.
This book takes a hard look at certain parts of humanity that many other authors prefer to skim over in stories like these (the two that stand out most are the transactionality of sex and our willingness to accept beautiful lies). But, while the focus of the story is fascinating, the characters feel strangely distant. They are ideas and shapes more than fully fleshed out people. I enjoyed reading about them, but they didn't feel real enough for me to get attached.
The ending was also a strange contrast to the rest of the book. In that it was almost too straightforward, too easy. The book raised very complex questions, but ended them with a simple answer.
Overall, I'm glad I read this book. There are certain scenes that will stick with me.
And, everything else aside, I really love the idea of a sexually transmitted city.
But the beauty in this book is... sharp, for lack of a better word. Every character in this book is broken and every element of beauty in the strange city we are shown glimpses of is tinged with pain.
This book takes a hard look at certain parts of humanity that many other authors prefer to skim over in stories like these (the two that stand out most are the transactionality of sex and our willingness to accept beautiful lies). But, while the focus of the story is fascinating, the characters feel strangely distant. They are ideas and shapes more than fully fleshed out people. I enjoyed reading about them, but they didn't feel real enough for me to get attached.
The ending was also a strange contrast to the rest of the book. In that it was almost too straightforward, too easy. The book raised very complex questions, but ended them with a simple answer.
Overall, I'm glad I read this book. There are certain scenes that will stick with me.
And, everything else aside, I really love the idea of a sexually transmitted city.