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A review by kellieveltri
The Peripheral by William Gibson
3.0
Let’s start with the positives, because that is the easier part of this review to write. The concept of this book is quite interesting, and the message, though definitely leaning into preachy territory, is quite clear and important. I’m generally not a fan of this genre (big tech scares the crap out of me), but I didn’t hate this book.
But. And it’s a big but. I have several fundamental issues with this novel, both formally and narratively.
-It’s confusing. This isn’t solely because of the back-and-forth chapter structure that goes between timelines, because I think that that works for the most part and figuring out what’s going on is part of the fun of reading a book like this. However, we are dropped into a character’s thoughts without being told whose perspective we are watching from, and the jumble of pronouns makes it nearly impossible to tell who we are following early on in the book.
-In the same vein, it takes forever for this book to get going because so much of the beginning is dedicated to just trying to figure out who these characters are, where they are, when they are, and what is going on. It took me about 50 pages to actually start being interested in what came next (and to remember the characters’ names).
-There are some not-insignificant plot holes. There is always going to be some kind of logical issue that comes up when an author comes up with their own system for time travel, and I think that using augmented reality and the peripherals themselves, as well as clearly explaining the split timelines/multiverse theory helps Gibson avoid a lot of the typical pitfalls. That being said, the entire conceit of the book is based on Flynne unknowingly participating in an event in the future by playing a “game” on her phone, but all future attempts by the characters to move between timelines takes complicated technology developed in the future and a precise set of conditions. How this was able to even occur in the first place remains a mystery.
-My most personal and frustrating beef with Gibson comes in the form of his female characters. While I admire him for creating a well-rounded, smart, and capable female protagonist, Gibson’s female characterization in this novel gives off the distinct impression that he has never actually spoken to a woman before. Flynne is a textbook Cool Girl. She eats beef jerky, plays video games,and wears her brother’s sweatshirt with no pants. We get to follow her to the bathroom multiple times as she pees and uses hand sanitizer instead of soap to clean her hands. She obsessed over her boobs (which she is ridiculously conscious of at all times) and is constantly “swiping on some lip gloss” to look prettier for the men around her, because she may be unbrushed and unkempt, but at least her lips are shiny. Again, sir, ask a woman before you just write things.The term “hate kegels” is spoken by another woman in this book more than one time, when the appropriate number of uses is quite obviously zero. There are some very cool and badass female characters in this book, but these aspects rubbed me the wrong way and made me distrustful of them all.
Overall, I’d recommend this book to someone who is already an avid sci-fi fan, but not to the average reader.
But. And it’s a big but. I have several fundamental issues with this novel, both formally and narratively.
-It’s confusing. This isn’t solely because of the back-and-forth chapter structure that goes between timelines, because I think that that works for the most part and figuring out what’s going on is part of the fun of reading a book like this. However, we are dropped into a character’s thoughts without being told whose perspective we are watching from, and the jumble of pronouns makes it nearly impossible to tell who we are following early on in the book.
-In the same vein, it takes forever for this book to get going because so much of the beginning is dedicated to just trying to figure out who these characters are, where they are, when they are, and what is going on. It took me about 50 pages to actually start being interested in what came next (and to remember the characters’ names).
-There are some not-insignificant plot holes. There is always going to be some kind of logical issue that comes up when an author comes up with their own system for time travel, and I think that using augmented reality and the peripherals themselves, as well as clearly explaining the split timelines/multiverse theory helps Gibson avoid a lot of the typical pitfalls. That being said, the entire conceit of the book is based on Flynne unknowingly participating in an event in the future by playing a “game” on her phone, but all future attempts by the characters to move between timelines takes complicated technology developed in the future and a precise set of conditions. How this was able to even occur in the first place remains a mystery.
-My most personal and frustrating beef with Gibson comes in the form of his female characters. While I admire him for creating a well-rounded, smart, and capable female protagonist, Gibson’s female characterization in this novel gives off the distinct impression that he has never actually spoken to a woman before. Flynne is a textbook Cool Girl. She eats beef jerky, plays video games,and wears her brother’s sweatshirt with no pants. We get to follow her to the bathroom multiple times as she pees and uses hand sanitizer instead of soap to clean her hands. She obsessed over her boobs (which she is ridiculously conscious of at all times) and is constantly “swiping on some lip gloss” to look prettier for the men around her, because she may be unbrushed and unkempt, but at least her lips are shiny. Again, sir, ask a woman before you just write things.The term “hate kegels” is spoken by another woman in this book more than one time, when the appropriate number of uses is quite obviously zero. There are some very cool and badass female characters in this book, but these aspects rubbed me the wrong way and made me distrustful of them all.
Overall, I’d recommend this book to someone who is already an avid sci-fi fan, but not to the average reader.