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hollyyork 's review for:
Dead Astronauts
by Jeff VanderMeer
I finished reading this last night, and just sat in my chair and wept. And to be honest, I wasn't completely sure why. But I was left feeling haunted, bereft, and frightened for human's impact on the earth. This book grabs you by the bones and does not let you go. It is not an easy book, it is frustrating and confusing and it takes work. I struggled to begin with, and then just decided to let it wash over me, like the Sound and the Fury. It is a psychedelic journey. I think "enviro-horror" is accurate, but it also creeps into meta-fiction. When I described the first 100 pages to my wife she said it sounded like the Bible. But written by Kafka.
I think VanderMeer has written a "terroir", like the kind he explored in Authority. The sights, the sounds, the words (and not necessarily their literal meaning), just create an environment for you. A terrifying landscape. This is a book to interpret through a prism, and your own subjectivity reality will interpret meaning for you.
I went back and forth deciding whether to give it three stars or four, but ultimately I decided on four began I am glad that literature like this exists. To challenge, to startle.
I think VanderMeer has written a "terroir", like the kind he explored in Authority. The sights, the sounds, the words (and not necessarily their literal meaning), just create an environment for you. A terrifying landscape. This is a book to interpret through a prism, and your own subjectivity reality will interpret meaning for you.
I went back and forth deciding whether to give it three stars or four, but ultimately I decided on four began I am glad that literature like this exists. To challenge, to startle.