Scan barcode
A review by deannah
The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit
3.0
So, I am really conflicted about what to rate this book. At the very least, it was good. And the best, it was very good. And I can't figure out where it falls for me.
The novel is written in first person plural. For me this gives it a feeling of generality and anonymity. I kept wanting to know specifics--who was doing what. I haven't decided if this was a brilliant move or not. In a sense, the wives of Los Alamos were treated as a group. They had very limited/restricted information. They knew practically nothing of what was going on. And, I guess in a sense, the format of this book makes you feel in a similar manner.
Also, because it is kept so general, there were times as a reader I could relate to the feelings expressed since I too have felt too those feelings of isolation, boredom, powerlessness, etc. I may not have identified with those feelings if portrayed more specifically.
This book reminded me of the middle grade book, The Green Glass Sea, written of the same location and time but from the perspective of children. It is ironic perhaps that these books are so similar. That both the women (non-scientists) and the children where living in such close proximity to a life-changing work, yet knew so little of it. In fact there is this huge discrepancy between what is described in the book (the mediocrities of life) vs the work that was actually done there.
The novel is written in first person plural. For me this gives it a feeling of generality and anonymity. I kept wanting to know specifics--who was doing what. I haven't decided if this was a brilliant move or not. In a sense, the wives of Los Alamos were treated as a group. They had very limited/restricted information. They knew practically nothing of what was going on. And, I guess in a sense, the format of this book makes you feel in a similar manner.
Also, because it is kept so general, there were times as a reader I could relate to the feelings expressed since I too have felt too those feelings of isolation, boredom, powerlessness, etc. I may not have identified with those feelings if portrayed more specifically.
This book reminded me of the middle grade book, The Green Glass Sea, written of the same location and time but from the perspective of children. It is ironic perhaps that these books are so similar. That both the women (non-scientists) and the children where living in such close proximity to a life-changing work, yet knew so little of it. In fact there is this huge discrepancy between what is described in the book (the mediocrities of life) vs the work that was actually done there.