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screensense 's review for:
The Unmapping
by Denise S. Robbins
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Unmapping is amazing! It’s like nothing I’ve ever read before! This book captures the feelings of listlessness that came out of the confusion and lockdowns of the early days of the COVID pandemic with the helplessness of our current climate crisis and wraps them up in a magic realism story of hope and personal growth. I loved the absurdity that never really felt that absurd after having lived through a time when the logistics of locking down an entire city like New York is a real possibility.
Robbins gives us the story of a handful of characters as they navigate “The Unmapping,” a phenomenon that randomly(?) reorganizes all of the buildings in New York every morning at 4am. As the characters, and the city itself, relearn how to live and move in this new normal, their lives and individual journeys also adjust to meet new needs. It’s at once a fantastic conversation about climate change and humanity’s ability to make change, while also offering wonderful character development.
Honestly, there’s so much happening in this novel that I can’t imagine commenting on it all. I hope this book gets picked up and studied in many university courses on the Anthropocene, the human condition in the early 21st century, or even just magic realism! I know I’ll be going back to reread so I can dissect everything I missed the first time around!
This review is my honest opinion of the book. Thank you to NetGalley, Bindery Books, and Mareas Books for providing a digital copy for me to read in advance of the publication date.
Robbins gives us the story of a handful of characters as they navigate “The Unmapping,” a phenomenon that randomly(?) reorganizes all of the buildings in New York every morning at 4am. As the characters, and the city itself, relearn how to live and move in this new normal, their lives and individual journeys also adjust to meet new needs. It’s at once a fantastic conversation about climate change and humanity’s ability to make change, while also offering wonderful character development.
Honestly, there’s so much happening in this novel that I can’t imagine commenting on it all. I hope this book gets picked up and studied in many university courses on the Anthropocene, the human condition in the early 21st century, or even just magic realism! I know I’ll be going back to reread so I can dissect everything I missed the first time around!
This review is my honest opinion of the book. Thank you to NetGalley, Bindery Books, and Mareas Books for providing a digital copy for me to read in advance of the publication date.