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A review by hieronymusbotched
The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander
4.0
4.arbitrary
A thunderclap of a novella and surprisingly complex given its small frame. Three timelines and arguably four protagonists. And all the while the language here sings. It's exceptionally difficult to maintain the level of poetry present on display past a few pages without watering down the content (or turning up the snooze), but it seems effortless on the page and elevates the action into a kind of Aesopian chorus.
5 pages longer, even 5 paragraphs, and it could have been a five. But maybe that's just me.
In any case, expect the book to end with you shivering.
A thunderclap of a novella and surprisingly complex given its small frame. Three timelines and arguably four protagonists. And all the while the language here sings. It's exceptionally difficult to maintain the level of poetry present on display past a few pages without watering down the content (or turning up the snooze), but it seems effortless on the page and elevates the action into a kind of Aesopian chorus.
5 pages longer, even 5 paragraphs, and it could have been a five. But maybe that's just me.
In any case, expect the book to end with you shivering.