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A review by rballenger
Anthem by Noah Hawley
2.0
Type of read: Commuter/Travel Read.
What made me pick it up: Appeared on one of my Goodreads or library lists as one of the newly published books of 2022.
Overall rating: There is a lot to unpack in this book. It took me way longer than I would have liked to get used to the format. There are multiple storylines going on at multiple times and while they are clearly sectioned out in chapters and books, as someone enjoying the book in the audio version it took me a bit to catch on - I do also listen at 1.5 speed so that could be a contributor as there isn't as much natural pause between sections. Additionally, while there are multiple storylines and characters, everyone seems to have like five different names (OK, that's an exaggeration...but still).
I also struggled with the fact that the book is set in the future, but it discusses events that we're still living through, such as the pandemic, so it was hard for me to think of the after of something that - as of February 2022 - doesn't really seem like it has an after. There are definitely some political and theological plot points.
I did get very much 'The Institute' by Stephen King vibes from 'Anthem.' Although it wasn't telekinetic powers causing the kids to join forces, there were quite a few similarities and storyline setups. Unfortunately, I'm going to be yelling boo fohey on this one. I didn't hate this book, but I'm not sure I was in the right mindset to read it. I would however suggest 'Anthem' - with a disclaimer regarding my personal feelings about the book - to those who enjoy a challenging read that's a bit out there.
Reader's Note: 'Anthem' includes storylines with multiple references to suicide, self-harm, violence, drugs, and sex.
What made me pick it up: Appeared on one of my Goodreads or library lists as one of the newly published books of 2022.
Overall rating: There is a lot to unpack in this book. It took me way longer than I would have liked to get used to the format. There are multiple storylines going on at multiple times and while they are clearly sectioned out in chapters and books, as someone enjoying the book in the audio version it took me a bit to catch on - I do also listen at 1.5 speed so that could be a contributor as there isn't as much natural pause between sections. Additionally, while there are multiple storylines and characters, everyone seems to have like five different names (OK, that's an exaggeration...but still).
I also struggled with the fact that the book is set in the future, but it discusses events that we're still living through, such as the pandemic, so it was hard for me to think of the after of something that - as of February 2022 - doesn't really seem like it has an after. There are definitely some political and theological plot points.
I did get very much 'The Institute' by Stephen King vibes from 'Anthem.' Although it wasn't telekinetic powers causing the kids to join forces, there were quite a few similarities and storyline setups. Unfortunately, I'm going to be yelling boo fohey on this one. I didn't hate this book, but I'm not sure I was in the right mindset to read it. I would however suggest 'Anthem' - with a disclaimer regarding my personal feelings about the book - to those who enjoy a challenging read that's a bit out there.
Reader's Note: 'Anthem' includes storylines with multiple references to suicide, self-harm, violence, drugs, and sex.