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falsey's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
erinhly's review against another edition
4.0
Is the world we live in safer than those that came before it? In a way. Life expectancy is twice today what it was in 1900. I'm far less likely to die in my workplace, or at home, or walking down the street. Nutrition, sanitation, safety, hygiene, and housing are all much better.
And yet I can't help but wonder if the existential doom/eco-anxiety that so many of us feel so intensely is unique because we're not only living through not only an unprecedented Climate Crisis but an Information Age to boot. The Inland Sea deals directly with these topics.
The protagonist, fresh out of undergrad, lands a job redirecting emergency calls to ambulance, police, or fire services. She's inundated with disasters — natural, personal, domestic, environmental, and otherwise. She copes by keeping a small notebook of disaster verbatim, and by gradually disassociating from her life. Above all else, I found The Inland Sea to be a fascinating study into how we cope when forced to confront the persistent violence of modernity. "Humans cast into a prolonged state of emergency will tend towards... subtle psychological changes," Watts writes. The one that predominates in this book (and this era) is paralysis.
I enjoyed this book but I'm unsure about labelling it cli-fi because the climate often felt peripheral. I appreciated the historical section of the book but I'm not sure how strong the connecting thread between the historical sections and those about the protagonist's relationships or childhood memories was very strong. The prose was beautiful.
And yet I can't help but wonder if the existential doom/eco-anxiety that so many of us feel so intensely is unique because we're not only living through not only an unprecedented Climate Crisis but an Information Age to boot. The Inland Sea deals directly with these topics.
The protagonist, fresh out of undergrad, lands a job redirecting emergency calls to ambulance, police, or fire services. She's inundated with disasters — natural, personal, domestic, environmental, and otherwise. She copes by keeping a small notebook of disaster verbatim, and by gradually disassociating from her life. Above all else, I found The Inland Sea to be a fascinating study into how we cope when forced to confront the persistent violence of modernity. "Humans cast into a prolonged state of emergency will tend towards... subtle psychological changes," Watts writes. The one that predominates in this book (and this era) is paralysis.
I enjoyed this book but I'm unsure about labelling it cli-fi because the climate often felt peripheral. I appreciated the historical section of the book but I'm not sure how strong the connecting thread between the historical sections and those about the protagonist's relationships or childhood memories was very strong. The prose was beautiful.
feifeii's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
2.0
songsaboutghosts's review against another edition
2.0
It was well-written but not for me. It just had the feel of something written by someone who spent a lot of time studying literature, there wasn't much plot and I didn't feel any emotional connection to anything in the book.
rjratliff's review against another edition
2.0
This book was truly, beautifully written, but the thematic elements never really came together in a way that I could recognize? Climate change, relationship trauma, some amount of family and island history, a "life is hard and then you die," kind of feeling, it never felt quite cohesive to me.
Finishing this was a slog. I had to drag myself to the last page.
Again, worth stating, I didn't ditch it because Madeleine Watts' writing is painfully gorgeous. Sylvia Plath vibes.
Finishing this was a slog. I had to drag myself to the last page.
Again, worth stating, I didn't ditch it because Madeleine Watts' writing is painfully gorgeous. Sylvia Plath vibes.
madisontolson's review against another edition
The use of the nameless narrator has made it really hard to get in to this book and makes it feel almost too personal.
As someone who is currently struggling with their mental health I felt that reading this book was putting me too much into these thought patterns and I fear this would damage the small progress I am making on my own mental health. I guess that is a testament to the quality of writing in this book but I just unfortunately didn’t feel like I was reading this book for fun. It was the January read for my friends book club and I feel like this is more suited to an English class
As someone who is currently struggling with their mental health I felt that reading this book was putting me too much into these thought patterns and I fear this would damage the small progress I am making on my own mental health. I guess that is a testament to the quality of writing in this book but I just unfortunately didn’t feel like I was reading this book for fun. It was the January read for my friends book club and I feel like this is more suited to an English class
carlytenille's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Abortion, Alcohol, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
katie_barty's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful book about “coming of age in a dying world”
gentlyglowing's review
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
coralcrab77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
There were some minor editing issues that I noticed.
But for a debut novel, I thought it was beautiful and well-written. I saw parts of myself in the narrator.
I have recently found that I love character-driven stream-of-consciousness writing, but I know it's not for everyone.
But for a debut novel, I thought it was beautiful and well-written. I saw parts of myself in the narrator.
I have recently found that I love character-driven stream-of-consciousness writing, but I know it's not for everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism, Abortion, and Medical trauma
Minor: Domestic abuse