A review by zsabella
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There are certain kinds of deaths that one should not be expected to relive, certain kinds of connections so deep that when they are broken you feel the snap of the link inside you.

this reading experience marks a rare occurrence I never thought would be possible for me—loving both the film adaptation *and* the book it’s based on equally, though for different reasons. I would argue that the film still does a great job of priming your senses for the more quiet horrors that reveal themselves in the novel.

normally I’m not keen about chapters on chapters of inner monologuing, but I was so engaged in reading the biologist’s struggles to form logic and make sense of the phenomenon in area x. her slow descent from curiosity into fear, delirium, and then nihilism was so effective. I’ve never read Lovecraftian horror, but I imagine this evokes some of the nightmarish and dissociative vibes that genre is known for. the visuals of alex garland’s film live in my mind rent-free, but so will the descriptions of the depths of the tower.

I wasn't expecting the biologist’s recounting of her marriage pre and post-expedition to be more emotionally compelling than in the film.

there is something uniquely heartbreaking about knowing the intimacy you have with your partner is headed for a breakdown and not feeling free enough in your relationship to prevent it from happening when there’s still a fighting chance.

just love love love how the biologist unpacks it all and what she ultimately declares at the conclusion.