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debsd 's review for:
The Sudden Appearance of Hope
by Claire North
A difficult book to review, I think. The premise is intriguing: Hope is forgotten, by everyone, within minutes of any encounter. This brings both benefits and problems. Alongside this a story plays out of an app which is more than an app - a lifestyle, really - which carries with it complex ethical and philosophical issues. And the two stories intertwine...
I found the writing impressive but also irritating - the lists, the random facts, the counting, the definitions of words (I don't need a paragraph to give me a dictionary definition of the word "penance", for example - let's just move on with the story, please!) It felt, at times, as though the author was regurgitating Wikipedia. I was also disappointed by the lack of resolution - we never find out why Hope disappears from people's memories, or how it happens, or whether she ever overcomes it, nor are we told what happens to several of the main characters or how some of the relationships play out. That said, the imagination and skill required to write such a story are substantial, and I intend to read more by this author.
I found the writing impressive but also irritating - the lists, the random facts, the counting, the definitions of words (I don't need a paragraph to give me a dictionary definition of the word "penance", for example - let's just move on with the story, please!) It felt, at times, as though the author was regurgitating Wikipedia. I was also disappointed by the lack of resolution - we never find out why Hope disappears from people's memories, or how it happens, or whether she ever overcomes it, nor are we told what happens to several of the main characters or how some of the relationships play out. That said, the imagination and skill required to write such a story are substantial, and I intend to read more by this author.