A review by miak2
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 
"Come, then, City That Never Sleeps. Let me show you what lurks in the empty spaces where nightmares dare not tread." p. 391


4.5 stars

The City We Became is a giant, glowing middle finger at bigotry. Before going into the book, I think it's important to note that it isn't a traditional fantasy story that has some relevant social commentary. No, this book's purpose is to celebrate diversity and reflect on continued discrimination, all with the backdrop of a fantastical storyline. It isn't subtle in its messaging, but it isn't trying to be and I appreciate that.

That being said, it makes the book a bit hard to review. There are some things that I would normally be critical of (for example, underdeveloped characters), but I also recognize that the characters are literally named as representations for large swaths of diverse people, and as such don't need (and would perhaps even suffer from) development in the traditional sense. So, with that knowledge, my one real criticism is the characterization of Aislyn, who's a typical white conservative woman. She definitely reads like a Republican that's been written by somebody who is absolutely not one herself, and as such some of her racist thoughts were perhaps a bit on the nose. I thought her arc might have been more compelling if her bigotry were more subtly harmful, like how some folks online lift up POC voices to mobilize social justice movements until those voices disagree with their arguments. But, hey, I'm also aggressively liberal, so I'm not claiming to have been able to do any better with Aislyn myself.

The plot, though, was a lot of fun. It picks up on the first page and doesn't let off the gas pedal until you're at the very end, looking at the dwindling number of pages and asking how the hell the book will resolve itself. The idea of people acting as avatars for cities was so incredibly imaginative, and I was consistently impressed with the creativity Jemisin had in her descriptions and events. The social commentary (again, the whole book) was really thoughtful too, especially in the alt right attacks against Bronca's art gallery. This book really felt like a love story to a city that's continuously growing and evolving, but that's held back by mindsets that threaten its people and diversity. Again, this book is not subtle in the slightest but I'm glad for that. And very excited for the next installment, as I think Jemisin's left the door open to more complex discussion on politics and discrimination.

And just remember, the next time somebody cuts you off on the road, maybe they're racing to protect the city from otherworldly threats with just a lot of spunk and an umbrella. Or they're just a dick, who knows. 
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