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A review by bluepigeon
The Interview by Manuele Fior
5.0
The Interview by Menuele Fior is a work of art. The subdued colors give way to darkness, the sky lights up in strange geometric shades of light, the classic architecture of plazas and buildings blend in with self-driving electronic cars and winding rivers where humans (still) skip rocks. The paneling is done masterfully. Action scenes give a sense of being in the moment, the rush of sea real, the pressure of the airbag against face during car crash immediate and painful. The slow, emotional moments are equally well done; it is an incisive study of changing human feeling, a realization in mid-sentence, a moment with too many emotions to verbalize...
The plot is very realistic for a sci-fi novel, which is not surprising, because Fior focuses more on the minute daily human triumphs and failures than on the alien communication/invasion/whatever that is actually going on. The psychologist's desperate grab for his wife, his morally wrong relationship with his ex-patient all point to a midlife crisis, but really, it is the vintage car he drives during this time of futuristic vehicles that gives away the depth of his desperation. None of Fior's characters are perfect, and they shine in their imperfection, even the rather unlikable co-worker-surgeon-friend, who, like the main character, belongs to a generation too old to accept the changes in society, and is increasingly angry for being left behind. The female characters are rather empowered and head-strong, and perhaps not surprisingly, much more willing to accept and initiate change.
The interview at the end brings the story to focus, and asks some of the more important questions more directly. The focus is on the impossibility of "knowing someone deep down without being able to read their mind" and how this defines human relations.
Overall, The Interview is a beautiful, sad story about what it means to be human.
Recommended for those who like skipping stones, moka coffee makers, fields of tall grass, vintage cars, and geometric shapes.
The plot is very realistic for a sci-fi novel, which is not surprising, because Fior focuses more on the minute daily human triumphs and failures than on the alien communication/invasion/whatever that is actually going on. The psychologist's desperate grab for his wife, his morally wrong relationship with his ex-patient all point to a midlife crisis, but really, it is the vintage car he drives during this time of futuristic vehicles that gives away the depth of his desperation. None of Fior's characters are perfect, and they shine in their imperfection, even the rather unlikable co-worker-surgeon-friend, who, like the main character, belongs to a generation too old to accept the changes in society, and is increasingly angry for being left behind. The female characters are rather empowered and head-strong, and perhaps not surprisingly, much more willing to accept and initiate change.
The interview at the end brings the story to focus, and asks some of the more important questions more directly. The focus is on the impossibility of "knowing someone deep down without being able to read their mind" and how this defines human relations.
Overall, The Interview is a beautiful, sad story about what it means to be human.
Recommended for those who like skipping stones, moka coffee makers, fields of tall grass, vintage cars, and geometric shapes.