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A review by steph_84
A Wrong Turn at the Office of Unmade Lists by Jane Rawson
3.0
When I started this book it reminded me of Gold Fame Citrus: both dystopian novels set in a city destroyed by people and climate, featuring young untethered female protagonists with their male partners-in-crime, drifting around their city, just surviving, scavenging and making infuriating decisions. There are also parallels with the literary writing style.
Then things changed. Firstly, I wasn’t expecting the sci-fi turn, and I had mixed feelings about it. The book doesn’t make sense, and I chose to just not think about it rather than interrogate the intricacies as some other reads have done. Secondly, the protagonist Caddy is trying to make the best of her bad situation, and is quite clever and courageous in their own way - unlike Luz from Gold Fame Citrus who is excruciatingly vapid. I don’t identify with Caddy but she has integrity and depth.
The speed of this story is also good, although it becomes increasingly confusing until the last few pages when there is some semblance of resolution. It’s unclear whether there are complex internal rules I didn’t understand or it’s intentionally chaotic and paradoxical - probably a bit of both.
As other readers have mentioned, it’s also interesting for people who live in Melbourne to see a dystopian variation of their city. I used to live right near where Caddy’s settlement was, and found it eerie to read the scenes set in 2030 overlaid with the current reality.
If you want an easy paperback to read on a plane or while you’re sick in bed, probably try something else, but if you like Australian literary dystopian sci-fi, this is a good read.
Then things changed. Firstly, I wasn’t expecting the sci-fi turn, and I had mixed feelings about it. The book doesn’t make sense, and I chose to just not think about it rather than interrogate the intricacies as some other reads have done. Secondly, the protagonist Caddy is trying to make the best of her bad situation, and is quite clever and courageous in their own way - unlike Luz from Gold Fame Citrus who is excruciatingly vapid. I don’t identify with Caddy but she has integrity and depth.
The speed of this story is also good, although it becomes increasingly confusing until the last few pages when there is some semblance of resolution. It’s unclear whether there are complex internal rules I didn’t understand or it’s intentionally chaotic and paradoxical - probably a bit of both.
As other readers have mentioned, it’s also interesting for people who live in Melbourne to see a dystopian variation of their city. I used to live right near where Caddy’s settlement was, and found it eerie to read the scenes set in 2030 overlaid with the current reality.
If you want an easy paperback to read on a plane or while you’re sick in bed, probably try something else, but if you like Australian literary dystopian sci-fi, this is a good read.