A review by daneekasghost
Scorch Atlas by Blake Butler

4.0

This is possibly the darkest book I've read. A series of stories, all set in similar but not identical worlds, all of which are falling apart, suffering from drought, sinking in a flood, overwhelmed by mold... well, you get the idea - I kept picturing the hurricane aftermath photos, where everything is covered in slime from the floodwaters. You expect there to be glimmers of hope in books like this, and there is a constant theme of mothers, fathers and their relationship with their children that try to redeem the apocalyptic settings and events, but it never really breaks through.

The writing is great, although there were a couple of descriptive passages that were overused (nearly everyone had skin so pale it was nearly transparent). There were many more phrases that caught my eye and had me marking a few pages to go back to once I've finished.

To say I enjoyed it probably isn't correct, but I'm glad I read it, and I might read some of the stories again.