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A review by existentialhell
Sunbirth by An Yu
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
SUNBIRTH is a cool, contemplative breath on your front porch. The kind you draw in after midnight and a bad dream, the darkness stirring in its shallow wake. It's raining. You, lost in thought, hardly notice.
Gently speculative and starkly poetic. An Yu's latest work sits with the reader like an estranged friend ruminating on the nature of grief, egoism, collective identity, and what it means to truly know another person. An Yu neatly sidesteps any moralism in favor of richly shadowed questions and inconclusive thoughts even as our main characters wax (or wane) obstinate in their perspectives. The sun recedes, the Beacons rise, and the buses still run. What is it to live for yourself?
Truly gorgeous. I've cherished this time in Five Poems Lake.
[Thank you, Riverhead Books and NetGalley, for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review.]
Gently speculative and starkly poetic. An Yu's latest work sits with the reader like an estranged friend ruminating on the nature of grief, egoism, collective identity, and what it means to truly know another person. An Yu neatly sidesteps any moralism in favor of richly shadowed questions and inconclusive thoughts even as our main characters wax (or wane) obstinate in their perspectives. The sun recedes, the Beacons rise, and the buses still run. What is it to live for yourself?
Truly gorgeous. I've cherished this time in Five Poems Lake.
[Thank you, Riverhead Books and NetGalley, for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review.]
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault