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A review by thehappybooker
Far North by Marcel Theroux
4.0
The voice of the narrator, Makepeace, and the word substitution that signals this as an alternative history aren't entirely consistent (for instance, substituting "milliards" for "millions" except for one slip-up), but this is a compelling story of survival in solitude and what a difference a little companionship can make, both good and bad - good, because companionship brings more dimensions to life, and bad because other people can complicate the delicate balance of daily survival. Makepeace was doing fine without company, but once company comes and goes, solitude is so much harder to bear.
I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because if the narrator really is writing for the person revealed in the last paragraph, by someone as rough-hewn as Makepeace, the narration would be even more sparse than it is, and would, I think, read more like an explanation of how things came to be this way, and contain more survival tips.
I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because if the narrator really is writing for the person revealed in the last paragraph, by someone as rough-hewn as Makepeace, the narration would be even more sparse than it is, and would, I think, read more like an explanation of how things came to be this way, and contain more survival tips.