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laurareads87 's review for:
The Afflictions
by Vikram Paralkar
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
What a fascinating book! Structured mostly as a medical compendium of conditions interspersed with an elderly librarian’s words to a new librarian, The Afflictions calls to mind Borges’ “Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge.” Conditions that cause one to fall ill outside of a small geographical radius that can periodically move, that cause one to speak in ciphers intelligible only to the best cryptographers, and that cause everyone to forget the afflicted person are a few of the many entries in this encyclopedic novella. A little bit repetitive, but beautifully written and thought-provoking.
Content warnings: medical content, medical trauma, pregnancy, body horror
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma
Moderate: Body horror, Pregnancy