Eric Stone
Thank you to RBmedia and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
When I read the description for this book, I had high hopes. A fragmented, balkanized United States where the "great promise" is forfeited? Sign me up. I was excited. But then I listened to it.
This book bills itself as a "Mosaic Novel," and I think that is where it falls apart. While the print version likely has section breaks to indicate jumps between the five stories, the audiobook provides zero transition. The narrator has one speed, one tone, and one voice. There is barely any variation between male and female characters, and none between the different male participants. The result is a level of confusion totally foreign to me. With 30% of the book left, I still had no idea what was going on. Is the soldier the same man as the doctor? It’s impossible to tell, and ultimately, it makes no difference - which is a major problem, imv.
The writing itself is good, but it isn't cohesive. While the sense of being unmoored might be an intentional reflection of a fractured land, it simply didn't land for me.
Furthermore, the promising premise feels empty. We aren't given meaningful information about how the government fell or what the power struggles actually entail. We're told the "great promise of America" is forfeited, but we don't see how that impacts society in a meaningful way beyond a guy living in the woods. I really wanted to love this, but the incoherence - compounded by the audio format - made it a pretty big struggle.
Thank you to RBmedia and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
When I read the description for this book, I had high hopes. A fragmented, balkanized United States where the "great promise" is forfeited? Sign me up. I was excited. But then I listened to it.
This book bills itself as a "Mosaic Novel," and I think that is where it falls apart. While the print version likely has section breaks to indicate jumps between the five stories, the audiobook provides zero transition. The narrator has one speed, one tone, and one voice. There is barely any variation between male and female characters, and none between the different male participants. The result is a level of confusion totally foreign to me. With 30% of the book left, I still had no idea what was going on. Is the soldier the same man as the doctor? It’s impossible to tell, and ultimately, it makes no difference - which is a major problem, imv.
The writing itself is good, but it isn't cohesive. While the sense of being unmoored might be an intentional reflection of a fractured land, it simply didn't land for me.
Furthermore, the promising premise feels empty. We aren't given meaningful information about how the government fell or what the power struggles actually entail. We're told the "great promise of America" is forfeited, but we don't see how that impacts society in a meaningful way beyond a guy living in the woods. I really wanted to love this, but the incoherence - compounded by the audio format - made it a pretty big struggle.
This book started off reasonably solid, but I quickly struggled with the "men writing women" aspects of Bobbi's narrative. It was jarring enough that I actually paused to research the context of this book's creation. Finding out it was written at the absolute peak of King's substance abuse issues - and that he has personally referred to the book as "awful" - really soured the middle third of the experience for me.
That middle section is a nightmare to get through - hard to follow, oddly paced, and jumping all over. I’m pleased to report that the book resolves fairly well, however. The closing scene was surprisingly tender, which I appreciated.
Thematically, the book is a success in specific areas: it portrays intelligence without empathy very well, and its depictions of substance abuse and hive-mind are super interesting. It just doesn’t represent King-level storytelling at its finest. If you’re a completist, get it out of the way - but try to avoid reading too much outside commentary until you’re finished.
This book started off reasonably solid, but I quickly struggled with the "men writing women" aspects of Bobbi's narrative. It was jarring enough that I actually paused to research the context of this book's creation. Finding out it was written at the absolute peak of King's substance abuse issues - and that he has personally referred to the book as "awful" - really soured the middle third of the experience for me.
That middle section is a nightmare to get through - hard to follow, oddly paced, and jumping all over. I’m pleased to report that the book resolves fairly well, however. The closing scene was surprisingly tender, which I appreciated.
Thematically, the book is a success in specific areas: it portrays intelligence without empathy very well, and its depictions of substance abuse and hive-mind are super interesting. It just doesn’t represent King-level storytelling at its finest. If you’re a completist, get it out of the way - but try to avoid reading too much outside commentary until you’re finished.
The subject matter here was interesting enough, but nothing that would usually grab my attention. However, the way this book is written is absolutely fantastic.
Mary Roach’s voice is so distinct and engaging that it completely carries the narrative. She has this way of taking technical or scientific concepts and injecting them with a level of wit and curiosity that makes you want to keep reading regardless of the topic. And those footnotes! This was my first experience with her work, and it definitely won't be my last. I can’t wait to dive into the rest of her catalog.
The subject matter here was interesting enough, but nothing that would usually grab my attention. However, the way this book is written is absolutely fantastic.
Mary Roach’s voice is so distinct and engaging that it completely carries the narrative. She has this way of taking technical or scientific concepts and injecting them with a level of wit and curiosity that makes you want to keep reading regardless of the topic. And those footnotes! This was my first experience with her work, and it definitely won't be my last. I can’t wait to dive into the rest of her catalog.