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gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was such a thought provoking narrative. Very dystopian in its themes but much more adult and fleshed out than some of the highlights of the genre.
The extents that civilization had gone in the pursuit of perfect health and aspirations of immortality felt more crazed and cult like that the actual suicide club.
Lea displayed some profound character growth with the complexities of decisions she made after delving into the darker depths of humanity and the rights that we're taken away by this enforced toxic positivity and waves of augmenting body parts.
I think this would make a great TV show as it reminded me of something you'd see in Black Mirror or Altered Carbon.
The writing was a little bland at times for me, but there was lots of dialogue and internal monologue that helped break it up and carried the story.
The interactions between Lea and Todd and her colleagues began to scarily seem more and more robotic, the deeper she got into Anja's way of thinking and learning more of life. It was fascinating seeing how life changed slowly though Lea's eyes as she discovered more of the corruption and sinister undertones of the government and the business she worked for.
I'm very pleased that I enjoyed Suicide Club even more than I had anticipated, especially considering it was a spontaneous library pick up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Grief, Bullying, Child death, Self harm, Classism, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide
inthebooknook's review
4.0
Thank you @henryholtbooks for sharing this book with me!
Suicide Club is literary fiction meets sci fi meets social commentary. It is set in a futuristic New York where most people live to 300 years old. (Well, those who can afford it.) Death is a huge taboo and everyone is focused on health and longevity. Eating poorly is looked down upon and everyone eats “nutripacks” (healthy shakes) for maximum nutrition.
While I enjoyed the premise, the story fell flat for me at several points and I connected with most of the supporting characters a lot more than the main character. However, the overarching plot and message kept me reading. This could be interpreted several different ways, but the moral I took away was that our society focuses on status and the appearance of a good life instead of actually living. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Suicide Club is literary fiction meets sci fi meets social commentary. It is set in a futuristic New York where most people live to 300 years old. (Well, those who can afford it.) Death is a huge taboo and everyone is focused on health and longevity. Eating poorly is looked down upon and everyone eats “nutripacks” (healthy shakes) for maximum nutrition.
While I enjoyed the premise, the story fell flat for me at several points and I connected with most of the supporting characters a lot more than the main character. However, the overarching plot and message kept me reading. This could be interpreted several different ways, but the moral I took away was that our society focuses on status and the appearance of a good life instead of actually living. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
rahenus's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
ettorditaget's review
3.0
Nej inte en superbra bok men ja den va OK. Gillar idén men den va tbh ganska seg att läsa. Man behövde oxå ha fokus hela tiden när man läste den för att hänga med och inte missa några detaljer. Ångrar inte att jag läste den men skulle inte läsa igen.
lucysmom17's review
3.0
A good read, although I can’t say it’s earth shattering. I felt like I was reading 1984 rewritten for millennials. Which, isn’t a bad thing. Characters in the book are labeled as “sub-100” or “lifers” depending on their “number,” or how long they are predicted to live. There’s family drama, personal growth, and the omnipresent question of whether our government really knows what’s best. Being that it’s Heng’s first novel, I’m interested to see how she evolves as a writer.
alexisrt's review
4.0
In some unspecified future New York, your future is determined by a cheek swab at birth. If your life expectancy is over 100, you gain access to life extending treatments and you become a "lifer," a privileged class. If it isn't, too bad for you.
Extended life comes at a price, however: endless regulations and advice about your life, designed to make sure only the worthy benefit. Lea, just turned 100 and poised to become an executive in health finance, becomes ensnared in the system one day when she sees her long absent father in a crowd.
the theme becomes obvious--almost too obvious. With everything in life so tightly regulated (no music, only a healthy diet, no stress, no outside air)--what's the point? The lifers have 300 years to look forward to, but no joy in it.
The writing is excellent and I felt that the characters did ultimately develop, but I felt there was a problem with the structure. Too much backstory was hinted at. It's preferable to giant info dumps in a novel of this length, but it left me wondering about all the details that were vaguely sketched in. On the one hand, artificial organs; on the other, people apparently left as organ farms and a well developed exchange in organs. There's a shadowy Ministry, information that other countries have not chosen the US' route (hinted at the US' tendency towards being pro-life; in the future, the sin is to be "antisanct"). Heng came up with an idea that could have supported a more elaborate story than she gave it.
Extended life comes at a price, however: endless regulations and advice about your life, designed to make sure only the worthy benefit. Lea, just turned 100 and poised to become an executive in health finance, becomes ensnared in the system one day when she sees her long absent father in a crowd.
the theme becomes obvious--almost too obvious. With everything in life so tightly regulated (no music, only a healthy diet, no stress, no outside air)--what's the point? The lifers have 300 years to look forward to, but no joy in it.
The writing is excellent and I felt that the characters did ultimately develop, but I felt there was a problem with the structure. Too much backstory was hinted at. It's preferable to giant info dumps in a novel of this length, but it left me wondering about all the details that were vaguely sketched in. On the one hand, artificial organs; on the other, people apparently left as organ farms and a well developed exchange in organs. There's a shadowy Ministry, information that other countries have not chosen the US' route (hinted at the US' tendency towards being pro-life; in the future, the sin is to be "antisanct"). Heng came up with an idea that could have supported a more elaborate story than she gave it.
fanqi1942's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0