I'm trying to explore the fantasy genre more because it's something I've enjoyed in the past but I don't read from it very often. This one sDNF @ 20%.
I'm trying to explore the fantasy genre more because it's something I've enjoyed in the past but I don't read from it very often. This one sounded up my alley because it was described as a mix of Mistborn (which I LOVE) and a serial killer story.
What I did really like about this book was the creative magic system! It was very unique and overall, though complex, was explained in a way that made sense. I also thought the Victorian/French inspired fantasy setting in a city was fun compared to fantasy worlds that are usually quite massive and sprawling.
However, after about 100 pages I didn't really care about the characters at all, and I know that this is a trilogy so there is time that it takes to get into their story, but I just found the balance/pacing between character development and plot to be off for my taste. It was doing a bit too much, with too much info-dumping about the world and the history, and honestly I was just kind of bored.
I think readers of certain types of fantasy or just more avid fantasy readers than myself would enjoy this a lot. It's by no means poorly written, just not one I clicked with....more
[4.5 stars] One could say We Do Not Part is an amalgam of Han Kang’s previous works: the surrealism of The Vegetarian, the examination of traumatic hi[4.5 stars] One could say We Do Not Part is an amalgam of Han Kang’s previous works: the surrealism of The Vegetarian, the examination of traumatic historical events in Human Acts, and the poetic starkness of The White Book. Here she dips into autofiction and shines a light on the atrocities committed on Jeju Island in 1948.
The book begins with a dream. Evoking woodcut prints, the white snow falls on bent and blackened tree stumps evoking the image of human form. The dark sea rolls in, threatening the trees (or are they people?) as Kyungha, our narrator, anxiously watches. She awakens to a sweltering day in Seoul, a sharp contrast in both weather and mood. Her nightmares have haunted her since she began researching a book she published four years prior about an uprising that resulted in countless deaths. But she feels unsure if these dreams are connected to that event, or something else...
Kyungha's longtime friend Inseon texts her asking for help, immediately. She's in a hospital in Seoul after an accidental while woodworking, coincidentally on a project the two had conceived together years ago but never saw to fruition. Inseon asks Kyungha to return to her Jeju Island home to feed her pet bird who was left behind in the wake of Inseon's accident. Kyungha arrives on the island in the midst of a snowstorm that obscures not only her vision but the story's grasp on reality. From there we move into an almost dreamlike state with the characters as past and present unfold together, woven into a tale that attempts to illuminate and reflect on the harsh realities of their nation.
Kang has explored the human body throughout her oeuvre. She seems to have a fixation on how the human form can both bring forth life and quickly snatch it away. The remnants of humans lost to acts of violence permeate this story. But so too do the shallow breaths, the radiant heat from blushed cheeks, the crunch of snow under feet. These vivid images pull the reader along, like stills in a slideshow.
There also seems to be a fascination with recording history, a theme I notice popping up in many novels I've read in the last year or so. From newspaper clippings, documentary films, journal entries, letters, and novels (such as this one), there's an attempt through the characters, and seemingly Kang herself, to put a pin in history in some way. To fix the eye on something we so easily can look away from, or refuse to ever see at all. Many times our narrator forces herself to look, at wounded fingers, unfathomable separations, in the name of remembering.
At one point a character says something about love being an agony. That to love is to make oneself vulnerable: physically, emotionally, spiritually. And yet there seems to be no other option. Humans continually seek out love in all its various forms. Those are on display here: from mother and daughter, to brother and sister, friend to friend. The partings we experience in life don't seem to be as tangible as they feel. Perhaps there's something more threading us together, across time and space, through history and the present, in blood and snow....more
I'm really glad I switched to the audio fairly early on for this because being a character and plot-driven story with a fairly plain writing style madI'm really glad I switched to the audio fairly early on for this because being a character and plot-driven story with a fairly plain writing style made this compulsively readable, compelling, and engaging in that format.
I loved our two main characters, siblings Robert and Gloria Stephens, as they struggle to survive without their mom, recently deceased, and dad, run out of their 1950s Florida town for an unfounded accusation of rape and stirring up talks of unionizing the Black workers in their community. When Robert defends his sister's honor against a young white boy whose family owns most of the town's land, he is sent for a 6 month stay at the Gracetown School for Boys (a.k.a. The Reformatory) where unspeakable horrors and crimes are committed against its subjects. Robert must survive his tenure there, while the ghosts ('haints') of the Reformatory seek their own justice and perhaps his help along the way.
While I expected this to be more traditional in its horror elements, this was absolutely more of a historical fiction that focused on real life horrors and sent chills down my spine simply for how, despite the ghostly elements, this felt SO realistic and tragic. Like Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys, this story fictionalizes the reality of reform schools in American history, similar to the residential 'schools' in Canada where young boys, usually of color, were unfairly sent in lieu of prison, to work and be punished for varying 'crimes.' The author's note in this book even connected the inspiration for this story to someone in her family tree, and highlights how much digging and on the ground research she did not only into her family's past but the terrifying reality that so many other boys went through in early 20th century American history.
While the book became a bit repetitive in the middle and could've been shortened by 100 pages or so (its nearly 600 pages long), I think that extra time spent with the characters does lend to the intense emotional feelings you experience throughout, especially as it draws to a suspenseful and page-turning close. I'd say the heavy lifting is done in the first half of the novel that does eventually pay off in the latter half.
If you like historical fiction and want something with a darker tone, or if you like character-driven fiction with memorable characters and a lot of heart, then this is a must-read for any time of year....more
A portrait of the artist as an egomaniac. Starnone examines his relationship to his father, a devoted artist and self-centered, toxic abuser. NevertheA portrait of the artist as an egomaniac. Starnone examines his relationship to his father, a devoted artist and self-centered, toxic abuser. Nevertheless, while the author doesn't hold back on depicting the explicitly horrible nature of his father, he also depicts the complicated reality of growing up under the oppressive and inevitably influential gaze of someone so strong-willed.
Admiration and accusation, two sides of the same coin. In the early phases of the novel, Starnone expertly exhibits how fragile the peace in a household can be when run by a lothario such as his father. The hypocritical tyrannism of Federi, Starnone's father, creates an environment where every move can be either lauded or ridiculed; living in a constant state of fear, needing to appease his father, renders Starnone almost stagnant in his own development. How can we become who we are in the vacuum of another, especially such a prominent figure of one's father?
I struggled a bit to get into this book. It's dense, heady and very repetitive. Perhaps much like living out these experiences would feel. By no means is it enjoyable or pleasant. However, the power of the narrative builds as you go on. And the end of each section—there are three in total, without chapter breaks—hit hard. Starnone really earns the emotional turns each part takes and by the finale I was surprisingly moved.
This might not be for everyone, but those who like the gritty Neapolitan depictions in Ferrante's work and the examination of parent/child relationships found in a vulnerable memoir will find something to appreciate, if not always enjoy, in Starnone's modern epic.
Merged review:
A portrait of the artist as an egomaniac. Starnone examines his relationship to his father, a devoted artist and self-centered, toxic abuser. Nevertheless, while the author doesn't hold back on depicting the explicitly horrible nature of his father, he also depicts the complicated reality of growing up under the oppressive and inevitably influential gaze of someone so strong-willed.
Admiration and accusation, two sides of the same coin. In the early phases of the novel, Starnone expertly exhibits how fragile the peace in a household can be when run by a lothario such as his father. The hypocritical tyrannism of Federi, Starnone's father, creates an environment where every move can be either lauded or ridiculed; living in a constant state of fear, needing to appease his father, renders Starnone almost stagnant in his own development. How can we become who we are in the vacuum of another, especially such a prominent figure of one's father?
I struggled a bit to get into this book. It's dense, heady and very repetitive. Perhaps much like living out these experiences would feel. By no means is it enjoyable or pleasant. However, the power of the narrative builds as you go on. And the end of each section—there are three in total, without chapter breaks—hit hard. Starnone really earns the emotional turns each part takes and by the finale I was surprisingly moved.
This might not be for everyone, but those who like the gritty Neapolitan depictions in Ferrante's work and the examination of parent/child relationships found in a vulnerable memoir will find something to appreciate, if not always enjoy, in Starnone's modern epic....more
In this clever modernization of classics such as 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, a censor charged with reading and determining the acceptability of certain bIn this clever modernization of classics such as 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, a censor charged with reading and determining the acceptability of certain books under the totalitarian regime within which he resides falls in love with reading one fateful day and is set on a course of life-altering, eye-opening adventure.
Not only does this book pay homage to its predecessors, it sneakily intertwines particular elements from some other classic tales in a way that is both endearing and surprising. As the book censor 'falls down the rabbit hole' he uncovers the truth at the center of his world that shatters everything he knows or thinks he knows, just like a good book reveals something latent within the reader.
I had such a fun time reading this. It was like reading a classic children's adventure story with the profundity and timeliness of a story about book banning and the importance of imagination. I was constantly delighted by the turns the story took and particularly impressed by the ending. While a few moments throughout felt a bit repetitive, the story ultimately won me over with its satire and charm. Plus who doesn't love a book about books?!...more
I first heard about this book because it was longlisted for the National Book Award for Translated Literature this year (2024). My library had a copy I first heard about this book because it was longlisted for the National Book Award for Translated Literature this year (2024). My library had a copy so I figured I'd give it a shot to try something new and expand my horizons, reading a book from a Syrian author written originally in Arabic.
The story follows Ali who is a 19 year old conscript in the Syrian army. His story begins at the end, after he's been hit by friendly fire on the top of a mountain, below the shade of a tree. As night begins to fall and he tries to crawl to safety beneath the tree, perhaps his only living companion on the mountaintop, he swiftly moves in and out of the present day, reflecting on past experiences and significant moments that led him to this moment. The death of his brother, his unconventional upbringing at the hands of a local 'madwoman,' his conscription into the army. These experiences shape him and guide the narrative that is balanced by his present struggle to survive.
Unfortunately, I felt like this book was not written in a way that I could enjoy fully. I found the ideas and Ali's story to be compelling, but it was bogged down by dense and confusing prose. It's hard to say whether this was the author's intended writing style or a shoddy translation, since I can't compare to the original. But the English version was full of sentences with unclear subjects or changes in tense that made for an awkward reading experience.
I was intrigued to learn more about Syria and see through the eyes of a young, social outcast that embraces nature and detests the corrupt individuals wreaking havoc on his country. However, instead it felt very distant to me (perhaps a 1st person narration would've suited the story better here?) and ultimately underwhelmed me....more
What an ending! Lauren Groff is such an excellent writer. She captures physical being / senses so well. Her descriptions of the land and the effects oWhat an ending! Lauren Groff is such an excellent writer. She captures physical being / senses so well. Her descriptions of the land and the effects of survival on a young girl’s body are so visceral.
This is a tale of survival and reckoning with colonialism told through one small speck of life, and yet. It’s a much bigger tale of humanity. She balances the big and small, the infinite and everyday in a way that forces contemplation and sympathy.
I felt so deeply for our main character and just wanted the best for her! It reminded me a bit of The Wall by Marlen Haushofer which I read recently in terms of survival stories and isolation. But this is a deeply American novel and one with a lot to say without forcing it on the reader. It’s just a good, well told story. ...more
In her debut novel, The Safekeep, Yael Van Der Wouden crafts an evocative and atmospheric narrative that immediately pulled me in. The writing is lushIn her debut novel, The Safekeep, Yael Van Der Wouden crafts an evocative and atmospheric narrative that immediately pulled me in. The writing is lush, with a strong sense of place that gives the story an intense quality. I found she excelled at setting a mood, creating a world that feels both intimate and unsettling in the best way. The prose shines and immerses you in the quiet tensions and small mysteries that permeate the book.
However, while the style and tone are undoubtedly strong, the plot and pacing left something to be desired. The narrative unfolded in a way that felt a bit too neat, with a structure that follows a predictable rhythm. The third-act twist, while well-written, didn’t deliver the impact I was hoping for, as it was hinted at heavily throughout the story and lacked a surprising or subversive element.
Overall, The Safekeep is a solid read with beautiful writing and a haunting atmosphere. If you enjoy books that focus on mood and setting over intricate plot developments, this one might work better for you. Despite the tidy execution, it’s a well-crafted novel that would appeal to readers looking for a more atmospheric literary experience. I don't expect it to win the Booker Prize, but I am glad they nominated her, especially as a debut novelist, and am interested in seeing what she comes out with next....more
Charlotte Wood’s Stone Yard Devotional is an intimate exploration of grief, spirituality, and the quiet beauty of an untethered existence.
Set in a smCharlotte Wood’s Stone Yard Devotional is an intimate exploration of grief, spirituality, and the quiet beauty of an untethered existence.
Set in a small rural town with a tranquil monastery at its core, the novel follows an unnamed woman escaping from her everyday existence. She retreats (an interesting word with multiple meanings here) to the confines of the religious center to experience solitude and peace for a brief moment. But her stay extends into something life-altering, causing her to reflect on her past actions and beliefs and confront how they've brought her to the present.
The setting feels almost dreamlike—hovering between the mundane and the mystical. The landscape the author paints is both grounded and ethereal, a place where time seems to slow and dissolve, allowing the protagonist’s reflections to sink deeper. Every detail of the environment, from the sandstone monastery to the eucalyptus-dappled light, serves as a mirror to the inner life of the unnamed narrator, creating a sense of place so strong it feels like another character in the story.
The narrative unfolds in a diaristic and deeply personal style, drawing readers into the heart and mind of the main character as she grapples with her past and the aftershocks of profound loss. The first-person narration gives the novel an immediacy that feels both raw and restrained. It’s as though we’re reading a private diary, filled with unspoken fears and quiet epiphanies, bringing us into close communion with her contemplative journey. The structure of the story, almost like a meditation itself, allows the reader to experience the ebb and flow of her reflections, creating a powerful connection that lingers well beyond the final page.
The book heavily focuses on themes of existence, belief, and the search for meaning which are interwoven with more contemporary threads, such as climate change, immigration, and the call for inclusivity in a fractured world. Wood doesn’t shy away from these complex topics but instead lets them seep in subtly, much like the encroaching mice plague that haunts the novel’s setting. The monastery, a symbol of faith and tradition, stands in contrast to the broader societal changes that the narrator contemplates—questions of who belongs, what we owe to each other, and what remains sacred in a world in flux. This tension between old and new ways of thinking enriches the narrator’s musings on love, belonging, and her place in a community she is both part of and apart from.
What elevates the novel is its strong ending, which ties the narrative together in a satisfying way. The final pages offer a sense of clarity and closure that feels earned, yet not forced. Upon finishing, I found myself reflecting back on the novel’s beginning, noticing the subtle parallels that bring the story full circle. It’s a novel that invites a second reading, where the echoes of its opening chapters deepen the emotional impact of its conclusion.
Ultimately, Stone Yard Devotional is a quiet but profound novel that invites readers to sit with their own discomforts and questions about life’s purpose. Through the lens of one woman’s spiritual and emotional pilgrimage, Charlotte Wood offers a narrative that is as generous as it is introspective, challenging us to find grace in the fleeting moments of connection and clarity amidst the uncertainties of our time. It’s an understated yet powerful read that left me with much to ponder, even after the final page was turned....more
I forgot to review this one when I finished it a month ago! I really enjoyed this book. It definitely won't be for everyone. It's a bit of a weird misI forgot to review this one when I finished it a month ago! I really enjoyed this book. It definitely won't be for everyone. It's a bit of a weird mish-mash of spy thriller (but not your conventional genre-y page-turner), literary fiction, and philosophical musing on humanity. But that's exactly what I loved about it!
The narrative voice is so strong; 'Sadie Smith' our pseudonymous main character is independent, cool, hard to read, and definitely unlikeable at times. Think Ottessa Moshfegh if she had written Birnam Wood. And there's a lot of talk about Neanderthals, so there's that.
Glad this one got put on the Booker shortlist to make me prioritize it! The same thing happened many years ago with Kushner's The Mars Room which I also greatly enjoyed. Guess I gotta read more Kushner now! ...more
One of my favorite books of 2024 is Ben Shattuck's newest short story collection The History of Sound, which weaves together stories that mine theOne of my favorite books of 2024 is Ben Shattuck's newest short story collection The History of Sound, which weaves together stories that mine the depths of history while staying deeply personal, interwoven with beautiful writing about nature, the past and present, artifacts, and longing.
So of course, I had to go back and read his 2022 memoir which follows him across about 10 years as he took 6 different walks previously taken and written about by Henry David Thoreau.
This sort of pilgrimage Shattuck set out on was an effort to make space in nature to reflect, be delighted and surprised, and hopefully come to some understanding greater than himself. He says it much more eloquently and sounds less self-indulgent than my description. And with any book about pilgrimage, it is so much more about the journey than the destination.
Needless to say, I LOVED this book. It felt tailor made for me. I delighted in spending each morning with a cup of coffee, reading about another of his walks, the quirky characters he meets along the way, the animals he encounters, the nature he observes, and how he interweaves quotes and summaries of Thoreau's own journeys in a blend of past and present. It flowed so well, never feeling like a forced revelation but letting his nature walks unspool in front of him and his understandings unfold later upon reflection.
I can see myself revisiting this again, if not just for the beautiful descriptions of nature, but also for his wisdom, his wonder at the unknowability of things, and how it put me in a headspace that forced me to reflect and consider my own feelings about the things he discussed. It made me want to go on a long hike in the hills or sit on a foggy beach at morning. It made me want to say a silent prayer each day to the universe for the magic of existence....more
Any anthology like this is going to have stories that I love and stories that just don't work for me. I'm happy I read this one because it introduced Any anthology like this is going to have stories that I love and stories that just don't work for me. I'm happy I read this one because it introduced me to some new Indigenous authors that I definitely want to read more from, as well as allowed me to revisit some authors I've read and enjoyed before!
My favorite stories were probably: -"Behind Colin's Eyes" by Shane Hawk -"Tick Talk" by Cherie Dimaline -"Scariest. Story. Ever." by Richard Van Camp -"The Prepper" by Morgan Taltey -"Capgras" by Tommy Orange -"Limbs" by Waubgeshig Rice...more
The problem is clear: this isolated Swiss village is running low on natural resources with which to sustain their sizeable herd, which they depend upoThe problem is clear: this isolated Swiss village is running low on natural resources with which to sustain their sizeable herd, which they depend upon to provide sustenance and their community's livelihood. A recently elected Chairman and his younger followers propose they take the herd up the mountain to a lush pasture that was the scene of unspoken horrors 20 years ago. Their solution is met with resistance from the older crowd, but ultimately the plan moves forward anyway, and a group of men begin the journey that one can only feel will end in even more unspeakable events.
Written in 1926, this novel from one of the acclaimed Swiss French writers (who I had honestly never heard of prior to this) is surprisingly modern in its style and approach. Fluttering constantly between characters point of views, even moving back and forth in tense, sometimes in the same paragraph or even sentence, and including the 1st to 3rd person, both singular and plural, the storytelling weaves together a sort of collective consciousness of the village and its inhabitant. It's a complex and at times confounding, yet layered prose that lends itself to a cinematic feel (reminding me, in ways, of Damon Galgut's Booker Prize-winning novel, The Promise). Think A24, if this were to be adapted to screen, in both obscurity and eerie tone.
I enjoyed reading this one and discussing it for book club. It was generally not loved but perhaps appreciated, with layers to pick apart and lenses through which to view the text: man vs. nature, physical vs. spiritual, reality vs. fantasy, etc. I think it's a book I'd be rewarded for re-reading, and while it wasn't outright scary, it had some subtly creepy elements that made this a perfect October read....more
This book balanced plot and character really well. It was funny and thought-provoking in equal measure. I haven’t read any Danzy Senna before this butThis book balanced plot and character really well. It was funny and thought-provoking in equal measure. I haven’t read any Danzy Senna before this but I definitely want to check out more of her work. I liked what she had to say about the lies we are fed and what we choose to believe.
It’s also nice to read a litfic with a page turning pace; while Jane was sort of a train wreck and you couldn’t look away, you also couldn’t help but understand her and at least see WHY she made the choices she did. ...more
October 23, 2024: okay so I was wrong BUT like part of it is sort of right???? Like there are elements in there that I guessed
September 9, 2024: I’m mOctober 23, 2024: okay so I was wrong BUT like part of it is sort of right???? Like there are elements in there that I guessed
September 9, 2024: I’m making this prediction now so it’s in writing: I think this is gonna be historical romance set in the early 1900s....more
Updated Review: I don't know whether it's my headspace or just the fact of reading this from a perspective of someone who has read it before, but this Updated Review: I don't know whether it's my headspace or just the fact of reading this from a perspective of someone who has read it before, but this was so much better the 2nd time around! Obviously she is a fantastic writer, but the structure and themes of the novel tied together much more for me on a re-read, and it really connected with me on a more emotional level than I anticipated. I think this is a book I could see myself revisiting every few years; it offers a good perspective on life and doesn't give straight answers but instead gives you dozens of little moments of reflection to consider. It's a book you can take your time with or read in one big gulp and take something different away from it each time, which I appreciate. This is why I love re-reading!!
Original Review: 3 stars Samantha Harvey's Orbital offers a unique perspective on Earth as it follows six astronauts over the course of tweny-four hours as they complete sixteen orbits of earth—one every 90 minutes.
The novel's portrayal of our planet from afar is breathtaking and meditative. Harvey manages to capture a sense of wonder over the smallness of life in contrast with the vastness of space that resonates throughout the narrative. However, as the book progresses, I found some of these descriptions beginning to feel somewhat repetitive, losing some of their initial impact.
The characters in Orbital are intriguing but remain at a distance, almost like they are orbiting the story rather than grounding it. We get glimpses into their lives that hint at deeper layers, and while it seems intentional to keep them somewhat remote, as a reader who prefers more character-driven narratives, I found myself wanting more depth and connection with them.
Harvey's writing is undeniably skillful, and the novel reads almost like philosophical poetry in its contemplations on existence, life forms, and the universe. Her reflections are thought-provoking and beautifully written, making the novel more about the experience of reading her prose than about the story itself.
Overall, I appreciated Orbital for its meditative quality and the sheer skill with which Harvey writes. However, I found myself more impressed by the craft than emotionally invested in the narrative....more
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