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senior_young's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
knittingchaos's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the world she created but I hated the main characters.
savaging's review against another edition
4.0
"How many times did the US Department of Energy say 'wasteland' before this became one?
How many times will they chant 'unpopulated' before we disappear?"
This book fascinated me. But as with The Southern Reach trilogy, I'm here for the world-building and not the characters. How could someone say so many new things and then have such a boring protagonist, such a tired cliche? The damsel in distress. The babygirl. Is she a symbol for California? Did Watkins want to refuse us the catharsis of character growth? Is she just an honest interpretation of the author's own father's story? (He was Charles Manson's 'chief lieutenant,' leaving LA to set up fortifications in Death Valley where they could survive the coming 'Helter Skelter' race war)
Another hard thing: Watkins likes to use adventurous verbs. And for nouns she'll use metaphor and synecdoche, instead of just naming what the thing is. This is kind of lovely and also interrupts the flow of reading. Like having literary hiccups.
But I was absorbed by this vision of a wrecked California. Also: the desert cult, the lure of the dunes, the standalone chapter about Yucca Mountain. So good.
How many times will they chant 'unpopulated' before we disappear?"
This book fascinated me. But as with The Southern Reach trilogy, I'm here for the world-building and not the characters. How could someone say so many new things and then have such a boring protagonist, such a tired cliche? The damsel in distress. The babygirl. Is she a symbol for California? Did Watkins want to refuse us the catharsis of character growth? Is she just an honest interpretation of the author's own father's story? (He was Charles Manson's 'chief lieutenant,' leaving LA to set up fortifications in Death Valley where they could survive the coming 'Helter Skelter' race war)
Spoiler
After he testified against Manson, a Family member set fire to his VW van while he was asleep inside. He survived and lived out his days in Death Valley.Another hard thing: Watkins likes to use adventurous verbs. And for nouns she'll use metaphor and synecdoche, instead of just naming what the thing is. This is kind of lovely and also interrupts the flow of reading. Like having literary hiccups.
But I was absorbed by this vision of a wrecked California. Also: the desert cult, the lure of the dunes, the standalone chapter about Yucca Mountain. So good.
ataylor67's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
stb_14's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
whatsbookinjenni's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Weird and wonderful -- similar in some ways to Something New Under the Sun, but a bit plottier. Great explorations of motherhood, climate change, and American West/California culture -- definitely eager to read I Love You but I've Chosen Darkness soon too
tildahlia's review against another edition
4.0
Whew, not a great book to read when it feels like the world is ending. Incredibly evocative cli-fi, this book describes a futuristic dystopia in California where nature and human society as we know it has fried and decayed in an overheated world. The start and finish of this book were very strong; the middle lost some of its momentum for me. The writing was very strong (the oppression of the conditions had me reaching for water) but a hard read during a time of global instability.
cryingalot49's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
seereeves's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I think we’re supposed to pretend to like this book because the author is some break out star, the text is so dense, and the story is so murky that otherwise you risk looking like you don’t get it. But, I’m ok with saying I don’t get it.
I did not like nor was I interested in any of the characters or what happened to them. I did not see some greater point or theme. And it maybe because I’m too dense myself.
Why did all three main characters have a name that has to do with light? Luz, Ray, and Estrella (Ig)? What was the strange detour to the story (even further in the future?) of the people who lived outside the nuclear waste containment facility and the mutant(?)? Or the transcribed patient records (?) of Levi?
I was just slogging through at the end to get it over with.
I did not like nor was I interested in any of the characters or what happened to them. I did not see some greater point or theme. And it maybe because I’m too dense myself.
I was just slogging through at the end to get it over with.