A review by hmatt
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Little thoughts that I'll have every intention to assemble more later but probably will not:

  • I like the idea of a narrative created through short stories where some of the stories intersect, but this wasn't pulled off with 100% effectiveness. Maybe 60%. I was really invested in some stories and just not at all interested in others. I think fewer stories could have achieved the same effect, and I feel like the author could have done a bit more to interweave them. Also, I was a bit out on some of the stories that go off the deep end a bit, including the last one (I wanted to think it was cool, but it felt too convenient and also self-indulgent).
  • I commend the choice to use an ensemble cast for the audiobook where the narrators were meant to sound like the (sometimes obviously racialized) POV characters, but some of the chosen narrators were, um, not very good at narrating.
  • I remain solidly "pro" on pandemic fiction.
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