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davidb71's review against another edition
5.0
This is a stunning novel. I loved it. It's the story of Iris, a 30-something Londoner, unfulfilled in her corporate job and unhappy in her personal life, who takes the opportunity to escape her life on Earth and start again on a new planet, Nyx, accessible through a newly discovered wormhole. The thing is, it's a one-way journey, with no way back, so going there means permanently leaving behind your family, friends, everyone and everything you've ever known or loved.
This is a sci-fi type of premise, but this isn't really a sci-fi novel - so if you're looking for a hard science fiction book, this might disappoint you. This is a literary, contemporary novel, encompassing all kinds of themes and ideas. It's written in the first person from Iris's point of view, and on some level it's a character study, on others it's a commentary on modern corporate life, life in a big city, the nature of identity, self, family, relationships, love and loss, trauma. It's a slim novel, but for me it encompassed lots of themes and ideas, lots of stuff - it felt thematically and emotionally rich.
I thought this was a beautifully written book, with crystalline clear prose, flowing, crisp and evocative; I loved the way it was written. But even more than that, what made me truly love this novel was how emotionally engaged I felt with it: I felt like I lived this novel, experienced it. I felt the pain, the yearning, every emotional beat; I felt like I was there living it. I found it an extremely moving book, powerful and profound, and meaningful to me personally in a way that is rare. Others may not connect with this as completely as I did, but for me, on every level, I thought this was an absolutely stunning novel.
This is a sci-fi type of premise, but this isn't really a sci-fi novel - so if you're looking for a hard science fiction book, this might disappoint you. This is a literary, contemporary novel, encompassing all kinds of themes and ideas. It's written in the first person from Iris's point of view, and on some level it's a character study, on others it's a commentary on modern corporate life, life in a big city, the nature of identity, self, family, relationships, love and loss, trauma. It's a slim novel, but for me it encompassed lots of themes and ideas, lots of stuff - it felt thematically and emotionally rich.
I thought this was a beautifully written book, with crystalline clear prose, flowing, crisp and evocative; I loved the way it was written. But even more than that, what made me truly love this novel was how emotionally engaged I felt with it: I felt like I lived this novel, experienced it. I felt the pain, the yearning, every emotional beat; I felt like I was there living it. I found it an extremely moving book, powerful and profound, and meaningful to me personally in a way that is rare. Others may not connect with this as completely as I did, but for me, on every level, I thought this was an absolutely stunning novel.
westcdf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
serainaaaaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don’t think that this book is a five star read for everyone but I read the right book at exactly the right time. I absolutely loved the mix between the description of Iris’s life on earth and the sci-fi part of the story.
eggerlee's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
sklewi's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
On one hand I really enjoyed reading this novel, the writing style and reflection on modern life worked for me. On the other hand, the ending makes me question how much of the more out-there aspects of the premise (a wormhole at the bottom of the ocean?) were reality. I was willing to go along without much in the way of explanation for almost the entire book, but now find it difficult not to question Iris's perspective and the entire premise.
status_woe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
3.75
In the early chapters I found the writing pedestrian, but it quickly picked up and the critique of corporate city life was spot on. I identified with Iris, as I'm sure many professional women in their 20s and 30s will, in feeling trapped in a life that feels pointless, going to work and pretending to care, but ultimately feeling like it is all a performance. The writing in these parts of the book, is excellent.
Although about life on another planet, this book is more driven by the protagonist's inner world than it is her life in space or the logistics of it. For readers looking for pure science fiction, this probably isn't the book for you. There is no neat ending and it's open to interpretation, although overall I felt like the "grass isn't always greener" cautionary tale I expected. The lack of a tidy ending was made up for, for me, by the often really beautiful writing. The author also captures depression and the feeling of not having a true sense of place with your family superbly.
Although about life on another planet, this book is more driven by the protagonist's inner world than it is her life in space or the logistics of it. For readers looking for pure science fiction, this probably isn't the book for you. There is no neat ending and it's open to interpretation, although overall I felt like the "grass isn't always greener" cautionary tale I expected. The lack of a tidy ending was made up for, for me, by the often really beautiful writing. The author also captures depression and the feeling of not having a true sense of place with your family superbly.
samuslovski's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
shereadsalot's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
k8we's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75