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A review by niaforrester
Reproduction by Ian Williams
5.0
This one, I think, would have gotten five stars from me just because of its sheer ambitiousness. I'm not a fan of experimental fiction, and frankly would probably not have requested this from NetGalley if I knew that's what this was. But, surprisingly, it worked for me on just about every level: superb character development, an intriguing premise, mind-blowingly courageous, and filled with humor, insight and multiple levels of emotional resonance. It also didn't hurt that there were subtle treatments of every social issue I am most attentive to: race, class, gender, immigration ... and of course, love. The complicated imperfection of the characters, and the realistic portrayal of their personal and interpersonal journeys over a span of about two decades kept me fully engaged, even through those parts where the author's stylistic flourishes had me scratching my head.
Some people will absolutely hate this book, especially if their preference is straightforward, just-the-facts-ma'am narrative. This book doesn't give you that. Like, at all. It jumps between and over time, uses only the most necessary and sparing punctuation, and doesn't shy away from dialect. It is a challenging book in that way, but still, an amazing accomplishment that reminds me just how limitless the bounds of storytelling can be if you're a writer who is as unafraid as Ian Williams clearly is.
Some people will absolutely hate this book, especially if their preference is straightforward, just-the-facts-ma'am narrative. This book doesn't give you that. Like, at all. It jumps between and over time, uses only the most necessary and sparing punctuation, and doesn't shy away from dialect. It is a challenging book in that way, but still, an amazing accomplishment that reminds me just how limitless the bounds of storytelling can be if you're a writer who is as unafraid as Ian Williams clearly is.