Shan

7.0

Admitedly my first “more-poetry-than-prose” book, so there were definitely parts where i didn't bother to understand the poetry and just felt the vibe instead.

Good book though! Sci-fi elements are there but i don't really think it's a sci-fi book. It's like if Romeo and Juliet was fucking sick and not wack and dumb

10

Extremely eloquent, perfectly simple and effective prose combined with imaginative and realistic dialogue creates one of the most fulfilling reading experience ive had.

Theres no grand-purpose, huge-stakes plot here. No characters relying on archetypes and cliches and tropes so that readers can recognize the charactertype and know how to feel about them. Its just people. Normal people. Insignificant people. People who, like in real life - you dont know anything about until you talk to them. Steinbecks razor-sharp writing shows us that even the most insignicant and average people can live the most fantastical lives, and carry the the most mythical and beautiful wisdom in them. All you have to do is listen to them talk.

MUST READ!!

Some quotes i like:

“It is easy out of laziness, out of weakness, to throw oneself into the lap of a deity, saying “i couldn't help it; the way was set.” But think of the glory of the choice! That makes a man a man.

“In human affairs of danger and delicacy, successful conclusion is sharply limited by hurry. So often men trip by being in a rush. If one were properly to perform a difficult and subtle act, he should first inspect the end to be achieved and then, once he had accepted the end as desirable, he should forget it completely and concentrate solely on the means. By this method he would not be moved to false action by anxiety or hurry or fear. Very few people learn this.”

“You're going to pass something down no matter what you do or if you do nothing. Even if you let yourself go fallow, the weeds will grow and the brambles. Something will grow.”

7

The writing takes some getting used to as its quite a difficult read, but once you get used to it, it hooks you right the fuck in and its so incredibly good at drawing you in to the atmosphere of the book. Dialogue is hilarious, realistic and terrifyingly well written. Even though I might never fully understand all the intricacies of the book, I'm okay with that because I've shared the experience with the characters - if you know you know.

The world is unrelenting. The people are horrible. The violence is brutal. The kind are unrewarded. An incredibly important book. Must read.