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qyanacurry's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
“It’s the experience of loss,” the psychologists said, but more than that it was a loss underlined by guilt, because that loss had no natural cause; not if you didn’t count humans as natural, and I didn’t. We weren’t thunderstorms, nor did we blunder about, blind as bacteria. We had the capacity for choice, and what we had chosen — what we continued to choose — was death.
If you’ve ever experienced real anguish over climate change and you’ve mourned the losses in nature around us, read this novella. The Grief supposedly affects Indigenous populations more than anybody else, and it makes sense. There’s something so very painful about seeing your motherland be taken by climate change which can be stopped and fixed but just isn’t. It’s such a hopeless feeling. Can you watch something die and let it die?
This was a very short, easy read. I didn’t realise Octavia Cade was a NZ author until midway through the book, that was a pleasant surprise. This really should have been longer and I wish it was.
If you’ve ever experienced real anguish over climate change and you’ve mourned the losses in nature around us, read this novella. The Grief supposedly affects Indigenous populations more than anybody else, and it makes sense. There’s something so very painful about seeing your motherland be taken by climate change which can be stopped and fixed but just isn’t. It’s such a hopeless feeling. Can you watch something die and let it die?
This was a very short, easy read. I didn’t realise Octavia Cade was a NZ author until midway through the book, that was a pleasant surprise. This really should have been longer and I wish it was.
55_sallymander's review
1.0
THE IMPOSSIBLE RESURRECTION OF GRIEF by Octavia Cade
The synopsis of the book seemed like it might be enjoyable. In reality, however, it was something that I was unable to get interested in. I tried many, many times. I always like to give a book every chance to succeed, before I give up on it. With this book, it was doubly sad, since it was only an 82-page novella.
I received a complimentary copy from #netgalley @netgalley of #theimpossibleresurrectionofgrief and was under no obligation to post a review.
The synopsis of the book seemed like it might be enjoyable. In reality, however, it was something that I was unable to get interested in. I tried many, many times. I always like to give a book every chance to succeed, before I give up on it. With this book, it was doubly sad, since it was only an 82-page novella.
I received a complimentary copy from #netgalley @netgalley of #theimpossibleresurrectionofgrief and was under no obligation to post a review.
readmeup's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
aardwyrm's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
There's wonderful, horrible, beautiful despair here, but it's unfortunately choked by the main character. She's supposed to be awful, I think, but she's almost too dull to hate, reacting to all the dreadful things around her with a sort of bored disgust. You really want her to get eaten in that bit in the middle just so you can hear the rest of the story from someone better.
platypus7311's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
boxofdelights's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Some beautiful descriptions, but I don't think it works as a story.
monisousa93's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
shawcrit's review
5.0
This is a book unlike any other I have read. It is a concise shapeshifter of a story that pulled me in quickly and kept me engaged throughout.
Set in a near future world plagued by species extinction and climate change, the story follows Ruby, a scientist who works with jellyfish. The book deals with fraying relationships: the relationships between Ruby and the humans around her, but also the relationships between humans and ecosystems, humans and nonhuman animals. Humans are being affected by an illness caused The Grief which, in my interpretation, is basically a drive to self-annihilation brought on by a deep sense of mourning and regret at what has been lost due to climate change. When Ruby loses a friend, she is sent on a journey to uncover the mysterious resurrection of several extinct species. The story prompts questioning about human accountability, the role of technology in "progress" and "conservation," and the relationship between human and nonhuman life.
Cade's approach to climate fiction is stark and unflinching. My favourite aspect of the story is that it often feels a little bit dreamlike and surreal. It works well for me, though I honestly would have liked it if this was longer so I could learn more about this world and its characters. At times this felt like a fable, then it shifted to science fiction, then to an eco-thriller, then to a kind of eerie fairy tale. I really appreciated the experimentation with genre and the potency of the author's imagery. There is a kind of foreboding tone throughout that reminded me of Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy.
Thank you to Stelliform Press for an ARC!
Set in a near future world plagued by species extinction and climate change, the story follows Ruby, a scientist who works with jellyfish. The book deals with fraying relationships: the relationships between Ruby and the humans around her, but also the relationships between humans and ecosystems, humans and nonhuman animals. Humans are being affected by an illness caused The Grief which, in my interpretation, is basically a drive to self-annihilation brought on by a deep sense of mourning and regret at what has been lost due to climate change. When Ruby loses a friend, she is sent on a journey to uncover the mysterious resurrection of several extinct species. The story prompts questioning about human accountability, the role of technology in "progress" and "conservation," and the relationship between human and nonhuman life.
Cade's approach to climate fiction is stark and unflinching. My favourite aspect of the story is that it often feels a little bit dreamlike and surreal. It works well for me, though I honestly would have liked it if this was longer so I could learn more about this world and its characters. At times this felt like a fable, then it shifted to science fiction, then to an eco-thriller, then to a kind of eerie fairy tale. I really appreciated the experimentation with genre and the potency of the author's imagery. There is a kind of foreboding tone throughout that reminded me of Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy.
Thank you to Stelliform Press for an ARC!