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A review by goranlowie
Very Far Away from Anywhere Else by Ursula K. Le Guin
4.0
After having written some of the best fantasy & science fiction books of her generation in the span of a decade, with classics like Earthsea/The Left Hand of Darkness/The Dispossessed & most of her other Earthsea/Hainish Cycle books being written in this period, Le Guin suddenly released this small little realistic Young Adult book in 1976.
It's an interesting book because of this. Very, very few of her books are so decidedly not fantasy or science fiction. And yet it's still a visible aspect of her writing and the book itself-- look at the imaginative world the main character created as a kid, Thorn, and some of the almost fantastical elements of the story (the fog, for example).
Le Guin manages to write a wonderfully sweet YA book. Having just read the first two books of her other (more recent) YA series, Annals of the Western Shore, it would only make sense to compare those. This is very different in terms of story, I suppose: the Western Shore books are pure fantasy and are much more complicated works. This book is short and to-the-point. The most impressive thing, to me, is how relatable and realistic it all still feels, over 40 years later.
Must-read for: Le Guin fans (if you'd like to see a non-speculative fiction book from her!), teenagers (this book was made for you.), fans of shorter works (in which case you should really most of Le Guin's work, really)
It's an interesting book because of this. Very, very few of her books are so decidedly not fantasy or science fiction. And yet it's still a visible aspect of her writing and the book itself-- look at the imaginative world the main character created as a kid, Thorn, and some of the almost fantastical elements of the story (the fog, for example).
Le Guin manages to write a wonderfully sweet YA book. Having just read the first two books of her other (more recent) YA series, Annals of the Western Shore, it would only make sense to compare those. This is very different in terms of story, I suppose: the Western Shore books are pure fantasy and are much more complicated works. This book is short and to-the-point. The most impressive thing, to me, is how relatable and realistic it all still feels, over 40 years later.
Must-read for: Le Guin fans (if you'd like to see a non-speculative fiction book from her!), teenagers (this book was made for you.), fans of shorter works (in which case you should really most of Le Guin's work, really)