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maryclaire92's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.75
I really loved this. Essentially a short story collection with characters loosely related to each other, yet it takes place over the span of millennia. It begins at the outset of the release of an ancient arctic plague and shows snapshots of the ramifications throughout time and space. The author manages to take this borderline (and sometimes not borderline) sci-fi content and make it so devastatingly human. I needed time to digest each of these vignettes after listening and fell in love with the journeys of so many of these characters. City of Laughter and Pig Son were highlights for me, but the experience of listening to this entire audiobook was remarkable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Animal death, Child death, Terminal illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sarahweyand's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
3.75
I didn't realize going into this book that it was a collection of perspectives, similar to WORLD WAR Z but with tangentially connected characters. The first chapter really pulled me in and I was admittedly disappointed to see that we wouldn't be continuing the story with characters and a plot I was drawn into.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed most of the chapters and characters I was introduced to. My favorites were probably the opening chapter, the chapter about the theme park for terminally ill children, and the chapter about the search for a new home planet. I thought the scale, both in terms of the number of characters and the time frame for the story, was very impressive and well constructed. I appreciated the science fiction elements of the story paired with real experiences and thoughts derived from the pandemic in 2020.
I admit I don't think I fully understood or really enjoyed the final chapter, but I can appreciate it for what it was. This isn't a book to pick up lightly, but if you know what you're getting into I think it can certainly be impactful.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed most of the chapters and characters I was introduced to. My favorites were probably the opening chapter, the chapter about the theme park for terminally ill children, and the chapter about the search for a new home planet. I thought the scale, both in terms of the number of characters and the time frame for the story, was very impressive and well constructed. I appreciated the science fiction elements of the story paired with real experiences and thoughts derived from the pandemic in 2020.
I admit I don't think I fully understood or really enjoyed the final chapter, but I can appreciate it for what it was. This isn't a book to pick up lightly, but if you know what you're getting into I think it can certainly be impactful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Animal death
pacifickat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is exactly the sort of thing I would enjoy: a series of loosely interconnected short stories that serve as vignettes of people’s lives surrounding a central world-altering event. Suffice it to say, I loved this book – its style, its many distinct voices, and the audiobook narration with different voice actors for each section was perfection. I savored each chapter, often listening to only one a day so I could mull it over before dropping into the next character's life.
I like stories that drop you into the middle of a believable world and don’t demand neat endings. I also love the way short fiction has to employ an economy of language and storytelling that packs a lot into a small footprint. What it doesn’t accomplish in terms of intricately detailed plotlines and worldbuilding, it makes up for in immediate emotional connections with characters we didn’t know a moment ago but feel invested in anyway. How High We Go In The Dark is a deeply empathetic book, allowing readers to bear witness to the pain, sacrifice, heartache, character flaws, triumphs, failures, and hopes in others, and feel a shared sense that perhaps we as humans aren’t so alone in this mess of existence. It also hints at how we are all connected, even when we don’t realize it, in this uncanny thing we call existence within the uncanny universe we call home.
Here is a sampling of my thoughts on the various stories Nagamatsu wove together in this book:
1. Mundane moments taken for granted – the value of everyday human connection:
The Used-to-Be-Party
I like stories that drop you into the middle of a believable world and don’t demand neat endings. I also love the way short fiction has to employ an economy of language and storytelling that packs a lot into a small footprint. What it doesn’t accomplish in terms of intricately detailed plotlines and worldbuilding, it makes up for in immediate emotional connections with characters we didn’t know a moment ago but feel invested in anyway. How High We Go In The Dark is a deeply empathetic book, allowing readers to bear witness to the pain, sacrifice, heartache, character flaws, triumphs, failures, and hopes in others, and feel a shared sense that perhaps we as humans aren’t so alone in this mess of existence. It also hints at how we are all connected, even when we don’t realize it, in this uncanny thing we call existence within the uncanny universe we call home.
Here is a sampling of my thoughts on the various stories Nagamatsu wove together in this book:
1. Mundane moments taken for granted – the value of everyday human connection:
The Used-to-Be-Party
“As you know, I never showed up to anything back then. I was never one to connect. I’ve been that way my entire life. I went to work, kept my head down, and came home. I let old friendships fizzle. I orbited my family and all of you like a distant planet, there and yet nearly impossible to reach. I know I can’t survive alone. Maybe this will get lost in a stack of your unopened mail. Maybe you’ll read it and throw it away and say it’s too late. Or, maybe you’ll peak out your window and wonder about coming over and saying, ‘Hey, me, too. I’m hallow and cracked and imploding.’”
It seems that terrible things can both pull us together and break us apart, sometimes all at once.
2. The distance carved between generations after widespread catastrophe – the struggle to hold space of each other:
Grave Friends
“I don’t think anyone in the neighborhood was good at having important conversations with the younger generation. The elders had come to an understanding while recovering from a global pandemic that erected funerary towers into our skies. Nobody asked us what we wanted. Nobody questioned the new tradition.”
The author does a stellar job of describing the sense of disorienting disconnect that can be felt by a ‘lost generation’ in the wake of some great tragedies. What worked for the old generation may not help the new one to adapt, cope, and move forward. The world has changed, and embracing change is hard all around. Some experience varying levels of success, while others cannot move on at all and seem adrift and without an anchor in life. All the measures of happiness and success of the past have shifted or crumbled away, and the task of redefining such things can be full of grief and loneliness in a world that struggles to hold space for such feelings of doubt and frustration.
3. The intersection between technology and human experience yields mixed and nuanced results:
VR, robotics, advanced medical treatments, cryogenics, euthanasia machines, light speed space travel… Nagamatsu spends a great deal of time weaving a variety of technologies into his storylines. He seems to be pulling at the threads of a discussion around how technology can both help and hinder in the attempt to connect, grieve, find hope, and move on in life after trauma or tragedy. Sometimes they provide merciful comforts or open up new possibilities, and sometimes they inhibit the process of letting go or building connections with the living. Are characters being distracted, or receiving welcome relief from trauma and despair?
Several stories deal with the difficulty of coming to terms with the reality of one’s situation, of coping in the “real world” when so much has been lost and so many standard parameters have changed. Technology seems to waffle between keeping people stuck and giving them a means of connecting and finding hope. Whether an opiate of the masses, a thinly-veiled tool of capitalist opportunism, a merciful coping or exit strategy, a stabilizing force, or a means of survival, it is left up to the reader to consider each individual story as humans interact with the various technologies interwoven into their lives.
4. Sometimes we grieve what could have been as much as what actually was:
This could be a parent losing a child - the person they were and the bright future that will never be. Or, the complicated feelings of an adult child losing parents one by one who didn’t know how to deal with a child who didn't conform to their expectations. It could also include lost dreams and possibilities that will never again be within reach.
Several stories show how strained community or familial relationships, in the end, can mean either everything or simply yield a longing for what could or should have been. And sometimes we’re not entirely sure which one it is in retrospect, as memories and longings blur together.
5. How do we as humans interpret large-scale disaster?
Is there larger meaning to horrible events that yield widespread destruction? Through most of the book, the question of the origin of the strange pandemic, as well as perhaps some shadowy intended purpose it might serve, lingers in the background.
Perhaps the truth is relative, or perhaps it’s some weird mixture of all of these options. The book gives few clear answers on this scale, favoring exploring microcosms of individual human experiences of such events at various distinct points in time before, during, and after the worst of the plague. However, the book does hint at a few larger themes, zoomed out to scales of time and space beyond individual lifespans. This is where literary fiction meets speculative fiction, and I’m here for it.
6. So much hope – grieving, letting go, and grasping something new:
A Gallery a Century, A Cry a Millennium
“Dear Yumi, I can’t wait to show you how far we’ve come. We could’ve done better, certainly – your mother, us, the world. For a long time, I felt like I failed you. I wished you could’ve had a full life with all the heartbreak and college drama and shitty jobs we took for granted.But over the past few centuries, I realized I don’t want that for you anymore. Sure, I want you to understand what the world was, but you’re young enough to make this new world your life – a start without regrets and mistakes, a start that will be better because you know how much we used to hurt. Looking at you through your chamber glass, I can see your mother and grandfather in you, and you’ll be bringing the best of them on your journey – their drive and curiosity and quest to unlock the mysteries, to do what’s right. You’ll cry and be uncertain at first, that’s ok. But there’s a whole universe waiting for you. I’ve helped you this far, little one. We helped each other get here. But now, now is your time. It’s time to lead me into the red grass and tell me the story of how we get to be. It’s time to wake up.”
7. In spite of great horror and pain, stories of connection, hope, longing, self-sacrifice, and deep empathy endure:
A talking pig can break your whole heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Animal death, Death, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol and Medical content
Minor: Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Violence, and Racism
Euthanasiajcreads85's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
4.0/5 Stars
This may be the strangest book I’ve ever read.
To be honest, I'm not sure what to say about this book. It is written in parts, as if short stories. But they are all by the same author with the same undercurrent - an apocalyptic virus freed from the permafrost in Siberia. The stories are each unique points of view from all over the world, though most will have a character, place, or thing that was mentioned in another story. The stories span time and space, and even plains of reality. And the actual virus described is terrifying and other worldly.
I listened to this book on audio, the full cast was remarkable. And though disturbing content, the tale was very compelling.
I'd say, my biggest complaint, is that for each point of view you only get a moment in time. And some you really want to follow-longer. It's as if someone else has control of the channels, and flip them at will.
And while there isn't an ending, per se, there is an explanation of events...from an other worldly point of view.
This may be the strangest book I’ve ever read.
To be honest, I'm not sure what to say about this book. It is written in parts, as if short stories. But they are all by the same author with the same undercurrent - an apocalyptic virus freed from the permafrost in Siberia. The stories are each unique points of view from all over the world, though most will have a character, place, or thing that was mentioned in another story. The stories span time and space, and even plains of reality. And the actual virus described is terrifying and other worldly.
I listened to this book on audio, the full cast was remarkable. And though disturbing content, the tale was very compelling.
I'd say, my biggest complaint, is that for each point of view you only get a moment in time. And some you really want to follow-longer. It's as if someone else has control of the channels, and flip them at will.
And while there isn't an ending, per se, there is an explanation of events...from an other worldly point of view.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Chronic illness, Child death, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
cassiafied's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
3.5
tried not to cry in college bc of this book🌝🌝🌝
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Terminal illness
citlalialvrod's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Child death
abyjo's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I feel like I'm sitting here wondering what I just read. I haven't cried that much over a pig since babe.
I loved all the references to past stories as the story continued.
I loved all the references to past stories as the story continued.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death, Animal death, Child death, and Suicide
alexhodge's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
gut wrenching. beautiful writing. inventive stories. emphasis on gut wrenching. this is a book that sticks. it will keep me up at night. i highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, Suicide, Child death, Death, and Chronic illness
otakatoe3's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Cancer, Abandonment, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Child death, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, Confinement, and Grief
spicytomato's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An exploration of humanity and how we respond to loss, grief and destruction on a global scale. Aspects of this book destroyed my heart with poignant stories of incredible heartache and loss. Truly devastating but I couldn’t put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Death, and Suicide