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A review by caseylikekc
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Starless Sea is a book that's hard to put into words. It's a striking blend of fantasy and metafiction that reflects on the paradoxes of storytelling -- which is really to say, the paradoxes of life, itself. Morgenstern crafts such a complex, imaginative world that is only ever as fleshed out as the story needs it to be. Her writing is both a masterclass in narrative restraint and a love letter to writers, especially those who do not own that title because they don't believe that they can be. (Spoiler: You can be.)
There was a stretch of maybe 70-100 pages in the middle where I wondered if the story had lost its initial spark, but 1. it's a nearly 600 page book and 2. I'm so glad I finished it because the spark was, in fact, still there! Highly recommend, especially for literature/humanities grad students or undergrads lost in the sauce of academia. Let this book remind you of what fiction can do!
There was a stretch of maybe 70-100 pages in the middle where I wondered if the story had lost its initial spark, but 1. it's a nearly 600 page book and 2. I'm so glad I finished it because the spark was, in fact, still there! Highly recommend, especially for literature/humanities grad students or undergrads lost in the sauce of academia. Let this book remind you of what fiction can do!