60%
10.02.26A fun and thoughtful high-school supernatural thriller that leaned into the ridiculous horror tropes while also tackling the universal desire to belong. It could have been developed a little more - there were parts that needed more (and others that needed less) focus, and the protagonist didn't really have enough conflict, but generally it was engaging and mostly unpredictable.
54%
14.01.26This is lit fic at its most self-referential, like the crop circles it describes - carefully crafted and ultimately meaning whatever you want it to.
"What did I just read?", as the young people like to say. I enjoyed the writing style and the ideas but I had no idea what was going on most of the time. I think that was intentional, to some extent, but it did mean that nuances and any deep messages were lost, considering it was supposed to be a comment on Mormonism. Still, points awarded for offering something different.
This was well-intentioned to the point of being twee, despite trying to make some quite serious points about life choices and misogyny. The pacing was a little strange (why were they lost on a hill for so long?), and I'm not entirely sure that councils work the way they're portrayed here, but the plant lore was certainly thoroughly researched.
The title isn't a question but I'll answer it anyway. It defines itself as cosmic horror, which is partially accurate, but it's also a surreal and madcap supernatural adventure, the protagonists/narrators all so unreliable that it's not clear whether or not the story has been resolved at the end. It's also a deceptively clever, funny and well-structured novel, despite its pretentions of randomness.
(The protagonist's girlfriend was a manic pixie dream girl, who would never be the protagonist's girlfriend in real life, which was annoying but did fit into the narrative style.)
(My library book has the narrator David Wang as the author on the cover, with a rather concerning note from actual author Jason Pargin at the back explaining that it is entirely fiction and to seek help if you think it isn't.)
61%
26.12.23Reviews want to categorise this as a romance but that wasn't really what is was about. The main story covered a surprisingly neglected historical moment that centralised books - and women. The details of the hard lives and harder climate of the area were pretty vivid, although the ramping up of the plot towards the end was probably unnecessary.
Despite the quirky cover and the '13 going on 30' (or 16 going on 40) premise, this was solid literary fiction that interrogated all the big questions. Its knowing references to the 'Back to the Future' tropes prevented it getting too bogged down in its own dynamics, but it still lacked cohesion in many place - and the characters (which included New York) weren't particularly interesting. But, overall, a fun and thoughtful read.
62%
18.05.23I've now read most of Moriarty's novels and it's clear she sticks to the formula that works for her - various narrators from white, middle-class Australian families experiencing low-to-medium level trauma. She will tease you with what might have happened for most of the book, and then throw in a few twists that have been hinted at earlier on, and then continue with the story for rather longer than is necessary. In this one, I liked the portrayal of different marriage dynamics and the realistic sense of obligation that people have to each other over time. I doubt I'll remember much about it in a year, though.
59%
09.12.22
Hardinge is back on track after the rather disappointing Deeplight. Here's her typical robust world building, unflinching examination of power, politics, love and friendship, arresting turns of phrase and vivid characters. Maybe a little too episodic and drawn out but that's only a minor issue with this quality of writing.
58%
20.09.22The simplistic cover designs do this book no favours by implying it's a chick-lit beach read - but it soon becomes clear that beaches can be dangerous places. Its serious message is somewhat undermined by the pantomime villain of a husband, who any real wife would have left years ago, and by the weird 1950s vibe of what was supposed to be a contemporary story. The alleged twist was also so telegraphed from the beginning that I was surprised to learn from reviews that it was a twist at all. But it was interesting enough, in a 'rich people's drama' kind of way.
24.07.22
This was TJR before she hit her stride with fictional celebrity memoirs and it's not good. It's hard to care about any of the self-centred protagonists. It's hard to care about what happens to them. It's certainly hard to care, or even read, about their fluffy thoughts on love and fate.
63%
23.09.21
I really didn't want to read this month's book club choice. Why would I, when <title>? Not that such an ending is unusual, but it is unusual for the whole book to be about that ending. And indeed it was brutal - but also intriguing to explore the idea of whether it's about the journey or the (final) destination.
57%
07.02.21
Hardinge's worldbuilding skills are not in doubt, and nor is her lyrical prose. She can cover awkward subjects, in this case a psychologically abusive relationship, among other things. But this was just a bit... boring. I struggled to care about anyone, and the plot limped along like the old seacraft she describes so vividly.
