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A review by porgyreads
Sign Here by Claudia Lux
4.0
This is like if arrival and domestic psychological thriller had a baby.
Its a reverse katabasis where hell is a bureaucratic landscape that is stuffed full of humorous unease and discomfort. Yet still manages to evoke real despair when I think about ever having to wind up there.
The way Lux creates this world of hell and the lore of her characters is something special and she makes it read and look effortless.
Calamity really made this book for me. I need time to gather my thoughts. But wow a truly complex character that felt fully formed in all her hatred and hope and attempts at winning the glory of her fathers affection. Lily - at first I wasn’t sold. But I respect you sister in the end you won me over.
Mickey is written wisely enough that you understand in the final pages exactly why the narrative centres around her. And you can feel it from the first viewpoint that we are building towards that point of knowledge. She is so resolutely normal on every page and her relationship with Ruth is so specific unique to girlhood i said poor Mick about 1000 times in my head just because like I get it, I do.
Cals dynamic with Pey is so unique in its ability to tread closely to what you might expect at any given moment, but it never fully meets those expectations. Lux darts away to do something else and it’s always better than the last thing.
At one reveal, I legitimately said what the hell? out loud in the living room not even realising I was speaking.
Big up eniola for recommending this to me because it would’ve been buried in my TBR and I might never have to experience the rollercoaster.
In the end Pey, won me over as well. So I guess non-human sales grifter demons have rights.
The ending was very season finale of your favourite show, that got cancelled early and at first you swear that they had to rush the ending but after finding out later that they’d only planned to have the 2 seasons anyway, you’re like no actually I get the vision.
Which is my way of saying I think a screen adaptation of this in the right hands would be quite something! Will be checking to see if it’s been optioned asap.
Its a reverse katabasis where hell is a bureaucratic landscape that is stuffed full of humorous unease and discomfort. Yet still manages to evoke real despair when I think about ever having to wind up there.
The way Lux creates this world of hell and the lore of her characters is something special and she makes it read and look effortless.
Calamity really made this book for me. I need time to gather my thoughts. But wow a truly complex character that felt fully formed in all her hatred and hope and attempts at winning the glory of her fathers affection. Lily - at first I wasn’t sold. But I respect you sister in the end you won me over.
Mickey is written wisely enough that you understand in the final pages exactly why the narrative centres around her. And you can feel it from the first viewpoint that we are building towards that point of knowledge. She is so resolutely normal on every page and her relationship with Ruth is so specific unique to girlhood i said poor Mick about 1000 times in my head just because like I get it, I do.
Cals dynamic with Pey is so unique in its ability to tread closely to what you might expect at any given moment, but it never fully meets those expectations. Lux darts away to do something else and it’s always better than the last thing.
At one reveal, I legitimately said what the hell? out loud in the living room not even realising I was speaking.
Big up eniola for recommending this to me because it would’ve been buried in my TBR and I might never have to experience the rollercoaster.
In the end Pey, won me over as well. So I guess non-human sales grifter demons have rights.
The ending was very season finale of your favourite show, that got cancelled early and at first you swear that they had to rush the ending but after finding out later that they’d only planned to have the 2 seasons anyway, you’re like no actually I get the vision.
Which is my way of saying I think a screen adaptation of this in the right hands would be quite something! Will be checking to see if it’s been optioned asap.