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A review by readingwithalex02
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I stayed up late to finish this, something I haven’t done in a while. The world Anders creates is so rich and intriguing, the perfect blend of dystopian allegory with futuristic sci-fi, that this has shot up to one of my favourite sci-fi books. I only wish she had written more.
A tidally locked planet where it’s human inhabitants (a group of colonists hailing from Earth) are bound to live in the sliver of land between the boiling day and the freezing cold night. This setting perfectly allows Anders to introduce the idea of climate challenges (acid rain and cyclones!!!) and reflects what will happen if we don’t take care of our planet. But, the best part of this is that not once does the novel feel preachy or even scaremongering. It is realistic about the climate challenges faced, while acknowledging that you need to find ways to survive, and live in a destroyed planet in as meaningful a way as possible. Yay?
On top of all this are the LGBTQ+ themes. The “relationship” between Sophie and Bianca is the most infuriating and disturbing and tragically relatable part of the story. Sophie is completely infatuated with Bianca. We see as this “relationship” brings Sophie down so many times, could call it her Hamartia, even (English lit degree coming in full swing). Sophie, sweetie, you deserve better.
There’s also Mouth, who has a kind of gender nonconformity that I adore. Her relationship with Alyssa is adorable, and her “jinx” with Sophie is so dynamic and compelling.
At times Mouth did get slightly annoying, but I also felt for her the most. She seemed so lost in the world and was just trying to figure herself out. Her culture and entirely family being destroyed, her search for meaning and a sense of self without them, and the final sort of plot twist about what had wiped them out really impacted me.
Final note, absolutely loved the little detail at the start with the “Translator’s Note”.
A tidally locked planet where it’s human inhabitants (a group of colonists hailing from Earth) are bound to live in the sliver of land between the boiling day and the freezing cold night. This setting perfectly allows Anders to introduce the idea of climate challenges (acid rain and cyclones!!!) and reflects what will happen if we don’t take care of our planet. But, the best part of this is that not once does the novel feel preachy or even scaremongering. It is realistic about the climate challenges faced, while acknowledging that you need to find ways to survive, and live in a destroyed planet in as meaningful a way as possible. Yay?
On top of all this are the LGBTQ+ themes. The “relationship” between Sophie and Bianca is the most infuriating and disturbing and tragically relatable part of the story. Sophie is completely infatuated with Bianca. We see as this “relationship” brings Sophie down so many times, could call it her Hamartia, even (English lit degree coming in full swing). Sophie, sweetie, you deserve better.
There’s also Mouth, who has a kind of gender nonconformity that I adore. Her relationship with Alyssa is adorable, and her “jinx” with Sophie is so dynamic and compelling.
At times Mouth did get slightly annoying, but I also felt for her the most. She seemed so lost in the world and was just trying to figure herself out. Her culture and entirely family being destroyed, her search for meaning and a sense of self without them, and the final sort of plot twist about what had wiped them out really impacted me.
Final note, absolutely loved the little detail at the start with the “Translator’s Note”.