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A review by elkcariboubiologist
The Outward Room by Millen Brand
4.0
A very unique book both in style and in topic.
This is a quiet novel and one that moves along at a pace of internal struggle and development -- which is to say slowly. Watching the development and transitions that the main character goes through over the course of the year the novel takes place is fascinating -- and it was this aspect that got a 4 star rating. I have to admit that the writing style was hard for me at the beginning...to the point that I didn't know if I was going to make it through the book. I don't know if it was the cadence, the odd sentence structure, or the strange use of certain words but it was hard for me to read. After I got used to it and became more invested in the story (maybe 20% into the book), I didn't notice it as much. However, the last little bit of the book, when the story slowed way down again and my attention went from the plot and characters back to the writing, I struggled again.
This is a quiet novel and one that moves along at a pace of internal struggle and development -- which is to say slowly. Watching the development and transitions that the main character goes through over the course of the year the novel takes place is fascinating -- and it was this aspect that got a 4 star rating. I have to admit that the writing style was hard for me at the beginning...to the point that I didn't know if I was going to make it through the book. I don't know if it was the cadence, the odd sentence structure, or the strange use of certain words but it was hard for me to read. After I got used to it and became more invested in the story (maybe 20% into the book), I didn't notice it as much. However, the last little bit of the book, when the story slowed way down again and my attention went from the plot and characters back to the writing, I struggled again.