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A review by hiveretcafe
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox
4.0
3.5 stars
Finished copy provided by PRH Canada
-----------------------------------
When I read the synopsis of this book and saw that it was blurbed by two of my favourite authors — Deborah Harkness and Laini Taylor, I was expecting a very specific kind of book, and reading The Absolute Book kind of threw me for a loop because it wasn’t what I was expecting. I think perhaps, I was expecting more fantasy and less literary. But this is exactly that, I think — a literary urban fantasy.
The Absolute Book is about the quest to find the Firestarter, an unknowable, hidden book that has caused mayhem wherever it has gone and of course like its name, caused fires. Taryn is entangled in this quest because her family was the last to have had this book in their possession and wrote a (very interesting sounding) book about the destruction of books and libraries and subsequently, the Firestarter. Jacob Berger becomes entangled in this quest as he investigated the strange death of Taryn’s sister’s killer and Taryn’s own role in this death. Shift is a supernatural being whose own story is entangled with the quest and creation of the Firestarter.
This book follows these three and the quest to find the Firestarter and all the side stories that come with that — Taryn’s personal story, some of Jacob’s story and Shift’s story as well in its entirety because the story of the Firestarter is Shift’s story.
This book deals in a mix of different mythologies with the Sidhe, Odin and also Christian ones. And with the way that the Sidhe are dealing with past and their whole situation, there’s actually a lot of dealing with like, old testament biblical mythology.
Maybe the book was just too big brain for me, especially as I had to put it down for a month to deal with real life obligations. The Absolute Book is complex and layered and intellectual in a way that I wasn’t particularly interested in, because I don’t choose to pursue and read fantasy to try and think and interpret allegories.
There’s a limit, i think, to how much you can trust your readers to dig into allusions and allegories and how much you should really just spell out and this book really hit my personal limit lol. It’s just a bit opaque about everything until we get to the end. There were many instances where I felt confused. This is one of those books that I feel need a re read because of everything that was revealed at the end that clarifies everything that happens in the beginning.
But also let’s be real, I have too many books I haven’t read to be out here re-reading books I just finished reading.
A lot happens in this book and I don’t really have a lot of opinion on it? It’s a lot like my feelings with The Goldfinch. This book has literary merit, but it doesn’t inspire any sort of intense feeling in me. There are some really genuinely great lines in this book, including a line I thought was really funny — “the Nespresso machine finished its throat clearing” — because it’s so true. Also there was a line about the bubble tea texture of the air (WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??????).
There were also some really poignant moments where the point of view is either from Jacob’s or Taryn’s and it touches on the feelings of being an ordinary person being surrounded and drawn into this supernatural and fantastical setting and circumstances.
However, I think part of my complicated feelings has to do with the fact that there is a clear quest line — finding the Firestarter — but there were many moments where I found myself asking what was happening in the book. And like not in a good way where it had me turning the page, and more like scratching my head going “huh?”
There’s a lot i want to say about the allusions that are pointed at from the many reveals at the end of the book that I’ll put behind a spoiler tag lol.
In any case, I’m giving this book a 3.5 because while I don’t particularly find myself in love with this book, there are some real poignant parts of this book and it’s complex and interesting in a very specific way.
This book is for people who are into a sort of literary fantasy that involves mythologies and normal people interacting with the supernatural and a grounded sort of fantasy.
Finished copy provided by PRH Canada
-----------------------------------
When I read the synopsis of this book and saw that it was blurbed by two of my favourite authors — Deborah Harkness and Laini Taylor, I was expecting a very specific kind of book, and reading The Absolute Book kind of threw me for a loop because it wasn’t what I was expecting. I think perhaps, I was expecting more fantasy and less literary. But this is exactly that, I think — a literary urban fantasy.
The Absolute Book is about the quest to find the Firestarter, an unknowable, hidden book that has caused mayhem wherever it has gone and of course like its name, caused fires. Taryn is entangled in this quest because her family was the last to have had this book in their possession and wrote a (very interesting sounding) book about the destruction of books and libraries and subsequently, the Firestarter. Jacob Berger becomes entangled in this quest as he investigated the strange death of Taryn’s sister’s killer and Taryn’s own role in this death. Shift is a supernatural being whose own story is entangled with the quest and creation of the Firestarter.
This book follows these three and the quest to find the Firestarter and all the side stories that come with that — Taryn’s personal story, some of Jacob’s story and Shift’s story as well in its entirety because the story of the Firestarter is Shift’s story.
This book deals in a mix of different mythologies with the Sidhe, Odin and also Christian ones. And with the way that the Sidhe are dealing with past and their whole situation, there’s actually a lot of dealing with like, old testament biblical mythology.
Maybe the book was just too big brain for me, especially as I had to put it down for a month to deal with real life obligations. The Absolute Book is complex and layered and intellectual in a way that I wasn’t particularly interested in, because I don’t choose to pursue and read fantasy to try and think and interpret allegories.
There’s a limit, i think, to how much you can trust your readers to dig into allusions and allegories and how much you should really just spell out and this book really hit my personal limit lol. It’s just a bit opaque about everything until we get to the end. There were many instances where I felt confused. This is one of those books that I feel need a re read because of everything that was revealed at the end that clarifies everything that happens in the beginning.
But also let’s be real, I have too many books I haven’t read to be out here re-reading books I just finished reading.
A lot happens in this book and I don’t really have a lot of opinion on it? It’s a lot like my feelings with The Goldfinch. This book has literary merit, but it doesn’t inspire any sort of intense feeling in me. There are some really genuinely great lines in this book, including a line I thought was really funny — “the Nespresso machine finished its throat clearing” — because it’s so true. Also there was a line about the bubble tea texture of the air (WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??????).
There were also some really poignant moments where the point of view is either from Jacob’s or Taryn’s and it touches on the feelings of being an ordinary person being surrounded and drawn into this supernatural and fantastical setting and circumstances.
However, I think part of my complicated feelings has to do with the fact that there is a clear quest line — finding the Firestarter — but there were many moments where I found myself asking what was happening in the book. And like not in a good way where it had me turning the page, and more like scratching my head going “huh?”
There’s a lot i want to say about the allusions that are pointed at from the many reveals at the end of the book that I’ll put behind a spoiler tag lol.
Spoiler
So if what I’m interpreting is right, Shift is basically the son of Lucifer and as a god in his own right he’s basically kind of starting a new religion of sorts on Earth because he saved the world from all the bad stuff humans are doing. Taryn’s book that she’s writing, The Absolute Book, is basically the book that we just read and it’s meant to explain the events that lead up to all these sudden changes and the “ladies and gentlemen” and kind of a meta religious text??? DID I GET IT RIGHT? And I guess Taryn is a prophet? idkIn any case, I’m giving this book a 3.5 because while I don’t particularly find myself in love with this book, there are some real poignant parts of this book and it’s complex and interesting in a very specific way.
This book is for people who are into a sort of literary fantasy that involves mythologies and normal people interacting with the supernatural and a grounded sort of fantasy.