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A review by ljjohnson8
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders
3.0
I came to this book with no expectations, having never heard the name George Saunders before. I've since learned that he's somewhat of a literary lion, albeit one surprisingly off my radar. This short volume - 5 short stories and a novella - was his first publilshed effort. I liked it.
I always admire authors with the creative chops to create a complete and different world than our reality. While Saunders' USA was set (possibly) in a future (or concurrent) time after perhaps some cataclysmic event (or not), the twisted and skewed reality he created had elements that were all too uneasily familiar. His world was strange but always believable - within striking distance, not like flying to Venus.
It doesn't hurt that I'm a sucker for dystopia. And black humor. And an author who unbalances me enough that I'm laughing one moment, disgusted the next, and teary-eyed after that.
I always admire authors with the creative chops to create a complete and different world than our reality. While Saunders' USA was set (possibly) in a future (or concurrent) time after perhaps some cataclysmic event (or not), the twisted and skewed reality he created had elements that were all too uneasily familiar. His world was strange but always believable - within striking distance, not like flying to Venus.
It doesn't hurt that I'm a sucker for dystopia. And black humor. And an author who unbalances me enough that I'm laughing one moment, disgusted the next, and teary-eyed after that.