A review by wenwanzhao
Flux by Jinwoo Chong

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

4.0

I honestly feel so mindfucked right now. Time travel has never really been my thing because it’s so easy for my brain to lose it. I’ve never been great at conceptualizing high-level mathematics of physics, and when someone tries to be confusing about time travel, they usually pull from those subjects.  

My feelings about this book wavered as I kept reading it. Sometimes it dragged and felt stupid, but other times it was riveting. I liked how many tidbits tied into each other. I liked the subtle and informative world building. I even enjoyed how much of an asshole the protagonist was. 

The writing was really fascinating. I love second person, and the use of that perspective was really good in this novel. There were many plot choices that felt kind of janky, but I like experimentation. Not everything landed, but I’ve never read a book like this before. It was new and exciting. I had fun. 

I think what really pushed this book from a 3.75 to a 4 for me was that it was ultimately about a boy who wanted to save his mother. The through line of this book was people trying to fix things, to save people who were gone. I just found it sweet.
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