Michael Barnes
Having read Andrew Joseph White's young adult fiction 'Hell followed with us', and 'The spirit bares its teeth' I pre-ordered 'You weren't meant to be human' thinking I knew what to expect. I was grateful that his unapologetically bold, unflinching, and provocative from those works was carried into this work but I did find it hard to keep reading through some of the experiences described in White’s raw, visceral and intoxicating prose. Like Esmay Rosalyne said in Grimdark magazine ".. maybe I just kept turning the pages out of a sheer desperate desire for this tragic nightmare to be over as quickly as possible, and I fully realise how privileged I am in saying that".
What happens to the protagonist Crane an autistic, mute, and transgender man is sometimes unrelentingly desolate and even the descriptive landscape reflects this a dystopianish near-future version of rural West Virginia where festering masses of worms and flies offer salvation to the broken souls of society in return for fresh corpses and unwavering loyalty.
I was so grateful for the tiniest bit of salvation that came from allowing someone to flee this nightmare and in reading the author's notes discovered this was only thanks to the intervention from his wife (for this I thank you).
Like Esmay Rosalyne quotes in her review "My heart absolutely broke while reading You Weren’t Meant to Be Human, not only for Crane, but also for all the marginalized people in real life who are forced to survive instead of thrive in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile when all they want to do is just peacefully live as their true authentic selves".
It's an amazing work and ensures that I will seek out any future novels by White.
Having read Andrew Joseph White's young adult fiction 'Hell followed with us', and 'The spirit bares its teeth' I pre-ordered 'You weren't meant to be human' thinking I knew what to expect. I was grateful that his unapologetically bold, unflinching, and provocative from those works was carried into this work but I did find it hard to keep reading through some of the experiences described in White’s raw, visceral and intoxicating prose. Like Esmay Rosalyne said in Grimdark magazine ".. maybe I just kept turning the pages out of a sheer desperate desire for this tragic nightmare to be over as quickly as possible, and I fully realise how privileged I am in saying that".
What happens to the protagonist Crane an autistic, mute, and transgender man is sometimes unrelentingly desolate and even the descriptive landscape reflects this a dystopianish near-future version of rural West Virginia where festering masses of worms and flies offer salvation to the broken souls of society in return for fresh corpses and unwavering loyalty.
I was so grateful for the tiniest bit of salvation that came from allowing someone to flee this nightmare and in reading the author's notes discovered this was only thanks to the intervention from his wife (for this I thank you).
Like Esmay Rosalyne quotes in her review "My heart absolutely broke while reading You Weren’t Meant to Be Human, not only for Crane, but also for all the marginalized people in real life who are forced to survive instead of thrive in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile when all they want to do is just peacefully live as their true authentic selves".
It's an amazing work and ensures that I will seek out any future novels by White.