Scan barcode
A review by ellipalmer
Matrix by Lauren Groff
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Matrix is unlike any other book I have read. The story is quiet but fully engrossing. The writing is beautiful and urgent. There's no distinguished dialogue, similar to how Sally Rooney writes, which some might not like, but I never found it confusing and it definitely added something to the tone/mood of the book. I love historical novels. Matrix does something special that I've never seen done before. It drops us into the time without any historical context beyond the year. What we learn about the time and place is only what comes up in the narrative. People are referred to by characters but we're not given any additional detail about who they are. Some might find this disorienting, and I did my fair share of curious Wikipedia-ing. We get all the information we need to follow and be in the story, but it's like the book thinks we are also in that time and place and therefore don't need to be given additional context. It also makes the story and characters feel closer and more real. They aren't people from a faraway time and place, they're right here with us.
Marie, the main character, is wonderfully complex. She's loving and intense, prideful yet motivated by a deep care for her community and the women she loves. The community of women- nuns and secular- around her feel equally fully realized. They can be kind and harsh, they love and disagree with each other. Matrix feels like a story about a strange and imperfect attempt at a feminist utopia, something that would seem fascinating set in the modern-day but feels even more exciting and interesting set in the late 12th and early 13th century. It feels like the kind of story that will only get better on second or third reading. I loved it.
Marie, the main character, is wonderfully complex. She's loving and intense, prideful yet motivated by a deep care for her community and the women she loves. The community of women- nuns and secular- around her feel equally fully realized. They can be kind and harsh, they love and disagree with each other. Matrix feels like a story about a strange and imperfect attempt at a feminist utopia, something that would seem fascinating set in the modern-day but feels even more exciting and interesting set in the late 12th and early 13th century. It feels like the kind of story that will only get better on second or third reading. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Pregnancy