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A review by paragraphsandpages
Super Adjacent by Crystal Cestari
4.0
This was a surprisingly good superhero AND queer book. I have to admit the execution is far from flawless, but it handles the morals of capitalisitic superhero administrations so well? The themes of individual safety vs. group safety, of who should be the heroes and who decides that, and superheroes as not just caped crusaders, but brands to profit off of, are all at play here, and they were executed flawlessly.
If someone presented this story to me as an outline, I'd say there's literally no way this story can disappoint me. And honestly? It totally didn't. This perfectly scratched my superhero itch (though it still lingers), while also touching on a ton of related societal issues without coming off as high-handed or cliche. A large part of this comes from how well the book ended, keeping in mind how the effects of the story would actually impact the characters involved, and showing the variety of ways one can engage with the world of superheroes without being one (this be a large focus due to the title, super 'adjacent'). It also did a great job of showing the flawed and human side of heroes, the lens of the heroes' adjacent loved ones showcasing that well. We got to see the individual side of heroes, both on the saved and the forgotten.
A lot of hero novels show the picture we all want to see, of cheering crowds and heroes saving masses of people at once. This book narrows that focus. We see what happens to those that are saved, how that impacts their life. We get to see the girlfriend of a hero, how the constant hate brings her down and how her boyfriend's dream to save everyone leaves her in the sidelines, forgotten. We see what happens when a hero is no longer wanted, no longer 'profitable'. We get to see heroes become so with a variety of motivations, that not everyone sets out wanting to save the entire world. It gives a much more nuanced view of the superhero world as a whole, from the heroes that save the world and the individuals who save the heroes.
Now I say above the execution wasn't always great. It wasn't. The writing wasn't impeccable, and it felt more like something I had to get through to understand the story. I also found Claire annoying at first til she gained more and more depth, but that's mainly due to how her character is constructed. It's extremely realistic because she just actually is kind of annoying in her obsession. Additionally, I can't fault the writing too much because at the same time, the two POVs were extremely distinct. You could tell who you were reading at all times, even if you went and removed all the names.
All in all, I did really enjoy this even though I can't say the book is the best book ever. The superhero aspect of the novel is just done SO well, and to be honest, that's the most important part.
If someone presented this story to me as an outline, I'd say there's literally no way this story can disappoint me. And honestly? It totally didn't. This perfectly scratched my superhero itch (though it still lingers), while also touching on a ton of related societal issues without coming off as high-handed or cliche. A large part of this comes from how well the book ended, keeping in mind how the effects of the story would actually impact the characters involved, and showing the variety of ways one can engage with the world of superheroes without being one (this be a large focus due to the title, super 'adjacent'). It also did a great job of showing the flawed and human side of heroes, the lens of the heroes' adjacent loved ones showcasing that well. We got to see the individual side of heroes, both on the saved and the forgotten.
A lot of hero novels show the picture we all want to see, of cheering crowds and heroes saving masses of people at once. This book narrows that focus. We see what happens to those that are saved, how that impacts their life. We get to see the girlfriend of a hero, how the constant hate brings her down and how her boyfriend's dream to save everyone leaves her in the sidelines, forgotten. We see what happens when a hero is no longer wanted, no longer 'profitable'. We get to see heroes become so with a variety of motivations, that not everyone sets out wanting to save the entire world. It gives a much more nuanced view of the superhero world as a whole, from the heroes that save the world and the individuals who save the heroes.
Now I say above the execution wasn't always great. It wasn't. The writing wasn't impeccable, and it felt more like something I had to get through to understand the story. I also found Claire annoying at first til she gained more and more depth, but that's mainly due to how her character is constructed. It's extremely realistic because she just actually is kind of annoying in her obsession. Additionally, I can't fault the writing too much because at the same time, the two POVs were extremely distinct. You could tell who you were reading at all times, even if you went and removed all the names.
All in all, I did really enjoy this even though I can't say the book is the best book ever. The superhero aspect of the novel is just done SO well, and to be honest, that's the most important part.