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A review by thatotherjlo
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is one of the best books I have read in a long while.
At this point, I have probably read about 50 books that were written during or after the pandemic; some address it directly, some do their best to avoid any references or connections, and many show the pandemic's influence, even if it doesn't appear on the page. This is the first novel I read that turned the pandemic experience into real art; something that highlighted the commonality of human experience though a pandemic characterized by isolation, and which made me feel seen in the grief, resilience, and transformed understanding of human connection I've experienced over the last three years. How High We Go in the Dark is so clearly the product of deep reflection on the need and longing for community at a time of extreme isolation.
Through the book, Nagamatsu explores both how individuals adapted to this fictional pandemic and how the human race as a whole did; the structure of interconnected short stories allows him to portray a wide array of people and experiences along with a longue durée vision of how humanity adapted to a new reality over centuries. It is a deeply sad book, steeped in trauma and grief, but it is also such a hopeful one, which highlights human adaptability, persistence, and the endurance of the things that connect us all to each other. Yes, it's a sci-fi book, but even as Nagamatsu dives into the far-off future, through stories of intergalactic travel in search for new habitable worlds, the actions and motivations of the characters are so recognizably human. As we continue to discuss what exactly "the new normal" means for us, How High We Go in the Dark helps us reflect on what aspects of our lives are products of our society/context and what is true of all humankind.
I read the book in two or three sittings, but almost immediately wanted to go back and read individual chapters, to sit with them and reflect on each on its own. It is a hard, emotional book, so that might be a good approach if you know you're not in a place to spend too much time with the topic. If you want to do that, I might recommend my favorite of the chapters as a place to start: "Through the Garden of Memory," which is perhaps the most hopeful chapter of all as it highlights the endurance of humanity in the absence of society(a group of people find themselves in a sort of limbo, unsure whether they're alive or dead, and try and fail to save themselves; then, they encounter a child, and decide to try and save him. At the end, they can only sit with the hope that what they did actually helped) .
That said, I enjoyed the connections between the chapters, which are subtle but help drive home the message about the interconnectedness of the human experience. Those connections might be hard to pick up if you read the chapters in isolation, over a long time. Whichever way you choose to do it, this is a book to pick up and sit with.
At this point, I have probably read about 50 books that were written during or after the pandemic; some address it directly, some do their best to avoid any references or connections, and many show the pandemic's influence, even if it doesn't appear on the page. This is the first novel I read that turned the pandemic experience into real art; something that highlighted the commonality of human experience though a pandemic characterized by isolation, and which made me feel seen in the grief, resilience, and transformed understanding of human connection I've experienced over the last three years. How High We Go in the Dark is so clearly the product of deep reflection on the need and longing for community at a time of extreme isolation.
Through the book, Nagamatsu explores both how individuals adapted to this fictional pandemic and how the human race as a whole did; the structure of interconnected short stories allows him to portray a wide array of people and experiences along with a longue durée vision of how humanity adapted to a new reality over centuries. It is a deeply sad book, steeped in trauma and grief, but it is also such a hopeful one, which highlights human adaptability, persistence, and the endurance of the things that connect us all to each other. Yes, it's a sci-fi book, but even as Nagamatsu dives into the far-off future, through stories of intergalactic travel in search for new habitable worlds, the actions and motivations of the characters are so recognizably human. As we continue to discuss what exactly "the new normal" means for us, How High We Go in the Dark helps us reflect on what aspects of our lives are products of our society/context and what is true of all humankind.
I read the book in two or three sittings, but almost immediately wanted to go back and read individual chapters, to sit with them and reflect on each on its own. It is a hard, emotional book, so that might be a good approach if you know you're not in a place to spend too much time with the topic. If you want to do that, I might recommend my favorite of the chapters as a place to start: "Through the Garden of Memory," which is perhaps the most hopeful chapter of all as it highlights the endurance of humanity in the absence of society
That said, I enjoyed the connections between the chapters, which are subtle but help drive home the message about the interconnectedness of the human experience. Those connections might be hard to pick up if you read the chapters in isolation, over a long time. Whichever way you choose to do it, this is a book to pick up and sit with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Suicide