A review by reclusivebookslug
Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden

emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Something in the atmosphere of this book made me feel cold and lonely. The setting and plot have an apocalyptic aura, although this is not about an apocalypse -- the isolation of the two travelers from everyone else and even between themselves, the uncertainty of their situation and futures, the color palette of the backgrounds, which are sometimes black and sometimes red and orange like fire. Something about the combination of everything put this sense of anxious dread in me that was never fully relieved. It is an admirable quality for a story to make you feel these complex emotions, but at the same time, I didn't find this a particularly pleasant reading experience. Perhaps I read it at the wrong time, in the wrong headspace. Or maybe sometimes it is good for art to make you feel these things.
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