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Whether Violent or Natural
An unnerving, sinister, and brilliant dystopian novel about the choices we make at the end of the world, posing the question: Who can you trust when there’s almost no one left?
Years after complete antibiotic resistance has brought about global devastation, Kit ekes out an existence on a remote island alongside the taciturn Crevan, who has more recently fled the mainland. With once-curable diseases running riot, desperate measures are in place there: Those not yet infected are given experimental vaccines, and those for whom it’s already too late are culled. But Kit and Crevan are safe, protected on their island by a collapsing castle that holds a greenhouse and a well-stocked bunker within its ruins.
When a woman washes ashore—near drowned but clinging to life—the question of her fate threatens the fragile balance of Kit and Crevan’s isolated world. While Crevan wants to keep her alive, Kit isn’t so sure. And there’s more to wrestle with: Kit and Crevan each have secrets—secrets they have been keeping both from each other and from themselves. As the crisis brought about by the drowned woman’s appearance consumes them, the fictions of their shared existence crumble, and the truth begins to emerge.
Whether Violent or Natural is a startlingly original and thrilling novel for readers of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven. In the tenseness of its plotting, the gradual unfolding of truth, and in the strange and gripping intensity of its narrator’s voice, Whether Violent or Natural is an intelligent, unputdownable novel that welcomes a huge new talent to the genre.
Years after complete antibiotic resistance has brought about global devastation, Kit ekes out an existence on a remote island alongside the taciturn Crevan, who has more recently fled the mainland. With once-curable diseases running riot, desperate measures are in place there: Those not yet infected are given experimental vaccines, and those for whom it’s already too late are culled. But Kit and Crevan are safe, protected on their island by a collapsing castle that holds a greenhouse and a well-stocked bunker within its ruins.
When a woman washes ashore—near drowned but clinging to life—the question of her fate threatens the fragile balance of Kit and Crevan’s isolated world. While Crevan wants to keep her alive, Kit isn’t so sure. And there’s more to wrestle with: Kit and Crevan each have secrets—secrets they have been keeping both from each other and from themselves. As the crisis brought about by the drowned woman’s appearance consumes them, the fictions of their shared existence crumble, and the truth begins to emerge.
Whether Violent or Natural is a startlingly original and thrilling novel for readers of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven. In the tenseness of its plotting, the gradual unfolding of truth, and in the strange and gripping intensity of its narrator’s voice, Whether Violent or Natural is an intelligent, unputdownable novel that welcomes a huge new talent to the genre.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 11, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
April 6, 2024
I see that there is great variability among the reviews. It helps, I think, if the reader really enjoys literary fiction, particularly deeply contemplative, introspective, character studies. I enjoyed the story, the interiority of the main character, the Piranesi-like mystery at the center of it, and the heavily descriptive prose. However, I can definitely see where any one of these elements might trip up other readers.
The pace did stutter-step a bit at the end, right when it should have accelerated, but that was my only real problem with the narrative.
I would love to read more by this author in the future, just for the poetic prose alone.
The pace did stutter-step a bit at the end, right when it should have accelerated, but that was my only real problem with the narrative.
I would love to read more by this author in the future, just for the poetic prose alone.
August 29, 2023
Whether Violent or Natural is a debut dystopian novel by Natasha Calder. The story follows two people - Kit and Crevan - who live in isolation in a world that has become deeply dangerous. After antibiotic resistance progressed and and a plastic-eating bacteria evolved, modern medicine collapsed and people were left susceptible to even a minor cut or burn. Doctors transformed into "backbiters" - rogue elements who hunt down the infected. Alone on their island, Kit and Crevan live in safety until a woman washes up on their shore, and they must confront questions around whether human decency is worth the risk.
While I agree with other readers that the writing was VERY forced and overly flowery and confusing, I felt like it fit well with the unreliability and instability of the narrator. The main characters were creepy and unlikeable and the relationship between them was unnerving. I enjoyed reading this and liked the twist toward the end.
Thanks so much to Natasha Calder and ABRAMS for this ARC through NetGalley! Whether Violent or Natural is out now and would be a fabulous fall read.
While I agree with other readers that the writing was VERY forced and overly flowery and confusing, I felt like it fit well with the unreliability and instability of the narrator. The main characters were creepy and unlikeable and the relationship between them was unnerving. I enjoyed reading this and liked the twist toward the end.
Thanks so much to Natasha Calder and ABRAMS for this ARC through NetGalley! Whether Violent or Natural is out now and would be a fabulous fall read.
August 29, 2022
I’m the first to rate and review this book. It’s always optimal when the book was great and one gets to sing its praises and attract it some much deserved attention, but sometimes it’s just…
In fiction, not every apocalypse is apocalypse wow. It’s what you’re hoping for, looking for, but not all apocalypses are imagined equal. This one, was imagined well, alarmingly so, and even spun around into a neat twist in the end but getting there was as slog.
Not a long novel, but dense in a wrong way, heavily narrated, more like a stream of consciousness narrative of a young woman trapped on a small island following the end of the world as she knew it. It’s just her and a man, just the two of them. And then another woman washes ashore. Some drama ensues.
The math is as follows – 2, 3, 2, 1. Can’t say more without giving the plot away.
But then again, there isn’t that much of a plot, not really. The plot to narration ratio leaves a lot to be desired.
There’s a quality to the narrative too, like it’s all one long freeform poem. Very lyrical, but also…too much so. For a book it’s supposed to be, anyway.
Unless, of course, you’re into that sort of thing, in which case, sure, go for it.
But it definitely didn’t work for me. Not as a story so much, certainly not stylistically. Should have known by the title – the title is kinda of all weirdly, unwieldy, debut-y.
So yeah, I didn't think it was worth the time, really, but at least, it had the decency to not be overlong. Thanks Netgalley.
In fiction, not every apocalypse is apocalypse wow. It’s what you’re hoping for, looking for, but not all apocalypses are imagined equal. This one, was imagined well, alarmingly so, and even spun around into a neat twist in the end but getting there was as slog.
Not a long novel, but dense in a wrong way, heavily narrated, more like a stream of consciousness narrative of a young woman trapped on a small island following the end of the world as she knew it. It’s just her and a man, just the two of them. And then another woman washes ashore. Some drama ensues.
The math is as follows – 2, 3, 2, 1. Can’t say more without giving the plot away.
But then again, there isn’t that much of a plot, not really. The plot to narration ratio leaves a lot to be desired.
There’s a quality to the narrative too, like it’s all one long freeform poem. Very lyrical, but also…too much so. For a book it’s supposed to be, anyway.
Unless, of course, you’re into that sort of thing, in which case, sure, go for it.
But it definitely didn’t work for me. Not as a story so much, certainly not stylistically. Should have known by the title – the title is kinda of all weirdly, unwieldy, debut-y.
So yeah, I didn't think it was worth the time, really, but at least, it had the decency to not be overlong. Thanks Netgalley.
October 28, 2023
It’s rare that I give up on a book at the 80% mark (after slogging through it to get to that point) but here we are.
A post-apocalyptic novel about two people on an island where antibiotic resistance on the mainland has been reached, this was incredibly boring, overwritten and odd (and not odd in a good way). An intriguing premise but a distinct lack of intrigue meant this was torturously slow to read.
I love Emily St John Mandel (who this author is compared to in the blurb) but this doesn’t come close. Once I reached the part about the maggots, I closed the book, to forever remain closed.
A post-apocalyptic novel about two people on an island where antibiotic resistance on the mainland has been reached, this was incredibly boring, overwritten and odd (and not odd in a good way). An intriguing premise but a distinct lack of intrigue meant this was torturously slow to read.
I love Emily St John Mandel (who this author is compared to in the blurb) but this doesn’t come close. Once I reached the part about the maggots, I closed the book, to forever remain closed.
June 15, 2023
Incredibly irritating narrator LARPS lethally.
June 19, 2023
I really wanted to like this book. Hell, I really tried to like this book! Friends, I did not like this book. I had problems, they were many, and I can't find a ton of redeeming bits, though it wasn't all bad so I will try? The concept of antibiotic resistance is certainly timely and relevant and plausible, and I like that it was presented as such a dire situation. Because it would be, of course. I don't really get the connection with plastic, but whatever, that was the least of my concerns.
So let's talk about those concerns. Or things I simply did not like. First, we have our main character, "Kit". At first, I legitimately thought that Kit was somewhere between ages 10-12, and was therefore fairly certain that Crevan was a pedophile. But! He is not, because ma'am is at least 27 years old. Which is shocking, because she one million percent has the mindset of a preteen at best. Now, the whole book is narrated through the rambling, off-putting perspective of Kit, who is seemingly not a reliable narrator. Crevan is...well we don't really know what his role is for most of the story. She calls him "daddy" a lot, which absolutely scarred me for life, but he isn't really in a caretaker role as much as the wording suggests? I mean, she is a grownass adult, and they even have some... weirdly inappropriate moments? Crevan seems to hate her as much as I did at times, so I figured at least he knows this is weird?
So THEN they find an unconscious woman in the water, and Crevan rescues her because he is not Satan incarnate I guess. This is where things really took a turn for the worse for me, because Kit would have just let the lady wash away because she is The Worst™. The bit that bugged me the most here is that this woman, who is on death's door, if you recall, has a cleft lip. And Kit is... rudely fascinated with it? Look- this may just be a personal sensitivity that I have, or maybe the fact that I was already irritated with Kit, but the way she spoke of the woman bothered me. And THEN if this was not bad enough... And that was IT for me, this book could not be redeemed, sorry not sorry.
Now, as I said in the spoiler tag, for those of you who did not read it, I am pretty sure Kit is suffering from some kind of severe mental illness. But that isn't addressed at any point, so I can't even give it points for like "well at least they talk about what a mess this woman is" because nope. Also, there is a big ol' twist at one point that kind of made no sense for me narratively, and here's why:
Bottom Line: This was a mess. Actually, it may have been a two star mess until it made me mad, but the only thing saving it from being zero now is the actual world issues.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
So let's talk about those concerns. Or things I simply did not like. First, we have our main character, "Kit". At first, I legitimately thought that Kit was somewhere between ages 10-12, and was therefore fairly certain that Crevan was a pedophile. But! He is not, because ma'am is at least 27 years old. Which is shocking, because she one million percent has the mindset of a preteen at best. Now, the whole book is narrated through the rambling, off-putting perspective of Kit, who is seemingly not a reliable narrator. Crevan is...well we don't really know what his role is for most of the story. She calls him "daddy" a lot, which absolutely scarred me for life, but he isn't really in a caretaker role as much as the wording suggests? I mean, she is a grownass adult, and they even have some... weirdly inappropriate moments? Crevan seems to hate her as much as I did at times, so I figured at least he knows this is weird?
So THEN they find an unconscious woman in the water, and Crevan rescues her because he is not Satan incarnate I guess. This is where things really took a turn for the worse for me, because Kit would have just let the lady wash away because she is The Worst™. The bit that bugged me the most here is that this woman, who is on death's door, if you recall, has a cleft lip. And Kit is... rudely fascinated with it? Look- this may just be a personal sensitivity that I have, or maybe the fact that I was already irritated with Kit, but the way she spoke of the woman bothered me. And THEN if this was not bad enough... And that was IT for me, this book could not be redeemed, sorry not sorry.
Now, as I said in the spoiler tag, for those of you who did not read it, I am pretty sure Kit is suffering from some kind of severe mental illness. But that isn't addressed at any point, so I can't even give it points for like "well at least they talk about what a mess this woman is" because nope. Also, there is a big ol' twist at one point that kind of made no sense for me narratively, and here's why:
Bottom Line: This was a mess. Actually, it may have been a two star mess until it made me mad, but the only thing saving it from being zero now is the actual world issues.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
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June 11, 2023DNF at 40%.
I hate purple prose, especially when that prose is there just for the sake of it. It bogs down the narrative and makes your eyes glaze over.
Also, the relationship between Kit and Crevan is very very creepy. Not to mention that Kit is extremely unlikeable. Nope, I'm out.
PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I hate purple prose, especially when that prose is there just for the sake of it. It bogs down the narrative and makes your eyes glaze over.
Also, the relationship between Kit and Crevan is very very creepy. Not to mention that Kit is extremely unlikeable. Nope, I'm out.
PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 26, 2023
Here’s another from the recent spate of climate-dystopian novels, though making sense of any more detail is something of a mission.
A young woman is living on an isolated island within sight of a mainland ravaged by infection. How she got there is unexplained, as indeed is why she is there. She does however, have the luxury of a full stocked bunker underneath a crumbling castle, and a myserious male companion, Crevan, a former killer (though again any detail is absent), who calls her by the wrong name, and in turn, she calls him ‘daddy’, though he is clearly not her father.
If all that can be accepted, there is the question of how reliable the woman’s account is. She is captivated by Crevan’s stories from the mainland; of ex-doctors hunting human blood, and called backbiters, but once again, as to why, we are not informed.
Confused? You will be, especially after a half-dead woman turns up and could infect them and their isolated paradise is threatened.
Hard work - with much reward..
A young woman is living on an isolated island within sight of a mainland ravaged by infection. How she got there is unexplained, as indeed is why she is there. She does however, have the luxury of a full stocked bunker underneath a crumbling castle, and a myserious male companion, Crevan, a former killer (though again any detail is absent), who calls her by the wrong name, and in turn, she calls him ‘daddy’, though he is clearly not her father.
If all that can be accepted, there is the question of how reliable the woman’s account is. She is captivated by Crevan’s stories from the mainland; of ex-doctors hunting human blood, and called backbiters, but once again, as to why, we are not informed.
Confused? You will be, especially after a half-dead woman turns up and could infect them and their isolated paradise is threatened.
Hard work - with much reward..
November 20, 2022
With “Whether Violent or Natural,” author Natasha Calder has given us a dystopian novel about the end of humanity. While I admired some of her expressive, even lyric prose, I also thought the book burdened by a number of problems and inconsistencies. All in all, it’s not the best dystopian novel I’ve ever read.
According to the novel's narrator and main character, Kit, an escalating series of anti-biotic-resistant viruses has decimated the world’s population and just about everything humankind needs to function. Infections run rampant. Crops won’t grow. Herds can’t survive. There’s even a virus that’s eating all the plastic.
But Kit and an older man, Crevan, have somehow managed to escape to a well-stocked bunker underneath the ruins of a castle on an offshore island connected to the mainland by a causeway passable only at low tide. Crevan and Kit live together platonically. To avoid detection by anyone on the mainland, they sleep by day and go outside only at night.
One evening, they discover a woman floating unconscious in the sea. Ignoring Kit’s protests, Crevan rescues her, and, despite Kit’s bitter resentment, the two attempt to nurse the woman back to health. Will she regain consciousness? Will she upset the balance Kit and Crevan have achieved? Will Kit be able to keep Crevan for herself? And what will happen should any of them contract any sort of infection?
The novel’s premise is interesting. But unfortunately, I found Ms. Calder’s treatment of background and setting—in other words, her “worldbuilding”—much too vague. We’re never told what year it is or what country we’re in or when the virus(es) struck or how far into the future we’ve traveled. Nor do we know where Kit comes from, who her parents were, how far she went in school, etc. Nor do we learn very much about Crevan, except maybe that he’s a nice guy forced by circumstance to do some not-very-nice things (To be fair, I note that there is a “reveal” at the end of the novel that seeks to fill some of these gaps.)
I also thought Ms. Calder’s choice to have Kit narrate the story was problematic. Kit is not at all likable. She’s highly narcissistic, dishonest, manipulative, and even murderous. It’s difficult to become involved in a story told by someone so dislikeable and undeserving of sympathy.
Additionally, it seemed to me that there was a glaring disconnect between Kit the narrator and Kit as a character in the story. Kit the narrator spends page after page waxing eloquent about all manner of things, making ample use of references to current popular culture. But according to the facts she relates about her history, it’s doubtful she should be aware of those references. Time and time again, I found myself asking: how does she know that? And while Kit utilizes post-graduate vocabulary and sentence structure as narrator, much of what she says as a character is childishly simplistic.
As for Kit’s “waxing eloquent,” oh boy, is there a lot of it: eye-glazing, paragraph-skimming, page-skipping piles of stream-of-consciousness, existential, and/or nihilistic, and/or other philosophical-type musings that are off-putting in their stridency. They badly interrupt the flow of the story and caused me to wonder if “Whether Violent or Natural,” is more of a character study than a novel.
Readers who enjoy lyrical writing may well find parts of this novel pleasing. But those seeking a post-apocalyptic tale that concentrates more on world-building than the musings of an unlikeable, unreliable character may wish to look elsewhere.
All in all, 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for the quality of some of the prose.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an electronic ARC. The foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.
According to the novel's narrator and main character, Kit, an escalating series of anti-biotic-resistant viruses has decimated the world’s population and just about everything humankind needs to function. Infections run rampant. Crops won’t grow. Herds can’t survive. There’s even a virus that’s eating all the plastic.
But Kit and an older man, Crevan, have somehow managed to escape to a well-stocked bunker underneath the ruins of a castle on an offshore island connected to the mainland by a causeway passable only at low tide. Crevan and Kit live together platonically. To avoid detection by anyone on the mainland, they sleep by day and go outside only at night.
One evening, they discover a woman floating unconscious in the sea. Ignoring Kit’s protests, Crevan rescues her, and, despite Kit’s bitter resentment, the two attempt to nurse the woman back to health. Will she regain consciousness? Will she upset the balance Kit and Crevan have achieved? Will Kit be able to keep Crevan for herself? And what will happen should any of them contract any sort of infection?
The novel’s premise is interesting. But unfortunately, I found Ms. Calder’s treatment of background and setting—in other words, her “worldbuilding”—much too vague. We’re never told what year it is or what country we’re in or when the virus(es) struck or how far into the future we’ve traveled. Nor do we know where Kit comes from, who her parents were, how far she went in school, etc. Nor do we learn very much about Crevan, except maybe that he’s a nice guy forced by circumstance to do some not-very-nice things (To be fair, I note that there is a “reveal” at the end of the novel that seeks to fill some of these gaps.)
I also thought Ms. Calder’s choice to have Kit narrate the story was problematic. Kit is not at all likable. She’s highly narcissistic, dishonest, manipulative, and even murderous. It’s difficult to become involved in a story told by someone so dislikeable and undeserving of sympathy.
Additionally, it seemed to me that there was a glaring disconnect between Kit the narrator and Kit as a character in the story. Kit the narrator spends page after page waxing eloquent about all manner of things, making ample use of references to current popular culture. But according to the facts she relates about her history, it’s doubtful she should be aware of those references. Time and time again, I found myself asking: how does she know that? And while Kit utilizes post-graduate vocabulary and sentence structure as narrator, much of what she says as a character is childishly simplistic.
As for Kit’s “waxing eloquent,” oh boy, is there a lot of it: eye-glazing, paragraph-skimming, page-skipping piles of stream-of-consciousness, existential, and/or nihilistic, and/or other philosophical-type musings that are off-putting in their stridency. They badly interrupt the flow of the story and caused me to wonder if “Whether Violent or Natural,” is more of a character study than a novel.
Readers who enjoy lyrical writing may well find parts of this novel pleasing. But those seeking a post-apocalyptic tale that concentrates more on world-building than the musings of an unlikeable, unreliable character may wish to look elsewhere.
All in all, 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for the quality of some of the prose.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an electronic ARC. The foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.
June 16, 2024
This has been on my to-buy list ever since seeing it in the bookstore on the New Fiction shelf. Isolation AND pandy fiction, how could I say no?!
But honestly, it was a bit of a strange one for me. It was more chewy than I had anticipated - I picked it up thinking it would be a quick read about two people who were surviving a pandemic on a remote island, but it was really so much more than that.
Kit was a deliciously unreliable narrator. You know right from the get-go there is more to this situation than she is letting on. How did she get there? How long has she been alone? Why is she ok with letting this guy Crevan, who apparently just showed up out of the blue one day, boss her around and take charge of her and her bunker-den hideout place, but she's not ok when he rescues an unconscious woman from the ocean? And she came across as weirdly immature, which bothered me until you get closer to the end of the book (spoiler no spoiler but there's an interesting little twist) and then you kind of get why.
The pacing was a bit uneven, quicker when there was a bit of action, which was few and far between, and sloooower during the moments where she got stuck inside her head, which happened more frequently. It was definitely more isolation fiction than pandy fiction and the atmosphere was what made it all work - the whole situation was downright eerie, there was loads of tension, and we know we're being fed a bunch of half truths, so we're actively trying to figure out just wtf is going on while also giving in and going along for the ride because, what choice do we have?
But honestly, it was a bit of a strange one for me. It was more chewy than I had anticipated - I picked it up thinking it would be a quick read about two people who were surviving a pandemic on a remote island, but it was really so much more than that.
Kit was a deliciously unreliable narrator. You know right from the get-go there is more to this situation than she is letting on. How did she get there? How long has she been alone? Why is she ok with letting this guy Crevan, who apparently just showed up out of the blue one day, boss her around and take charge of her and her bunker-den hideout place, but she's not ok when he rescues an unconscious woman from the ocean? And she came across as weirdly immature, which bothered me until you get closer to the end of the book (spoiler no spoiler but there's an interesting little twist) and then you kind of get why.
The pacing was a bit uneven, quicker when there was a bit of action, which was few and far between, and sloooower during the moments where she got stuck inside her head, which happened more frequently. It was definitely more isolation fiction than pandy fiction and the atmosphere was what made it all work - the whole situation was downright eerie, there was loads of tension, and we know we're being fed a bunch of half truths, so we're actively trying to figure out just wtf is going on while also giving in and going along for the ride because, what choice do we have?
January 29, 2023
There's nothing I like more than a good apocalyptic, end-of-the-world scenario novel, so I grabbed this, interested in the premise of a world where antibiotics have failed (a plausible scenario).
But oh was I disappointed. I struggled to finish it, irritated by the voice of the narrator, Kit, and uneasy about the relationship between her and Crevan, with its underlying hints of some sort of weirdness between them. (Is it supposed to be some form of consensual sado-masochism? Or a man taking advantage of a vulnerable woman? Later events throw some light on this but in an unsatisfactory way.)
The overblown prose, the lack of clarity, the weirdness (and not in a good way).... It all struck me as rather self-indulgent. I should have paid more attention to the publisher's blurb: 'strikingly original' usually translates to 'annoyingly written.'
And annoyingly edited too. For example, in one early scene, she opens a door to half a wardrobe and describes the contents. She goes on and on about all the fabrics and colours and I'm thinking, wow, that's one hell of a tardis of a (half-)wardrobe to fit all that stuff! An editor should surely have reined in that sort of hyperbole. Half a wardrobe and it's got an entire household trousseau including quilt covers, as well as a huge variety of clothing -- including tulle dresses (plural), which anyone could tell you would take up most of the space there already. All that to drop in the comment that the synthetics could be destroyed by a plastic-eating virus. Some might say that's a neat, literary way to drop in an important piece of information like that (and again, another interesting scenario), but really, gimme a break. It took several pages and a tardis to get there. Needs a good dose of an editor's red pen.
If you're a fan of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, you might like this. I am not, and I don't, for much the same reasons. I'm not a fan of the sort of elitist approach to fiction that positions one novel as "LITERARY" or "intelligent" and another as "popular" or "commercial" fiction, based pretty much solely on the former using what are hardly more than literary gimmicks, such as overblown language or a weird narrative voice. What's "literary" and "intelligent" for me is a novel (-ist) that builds a world convincingly, suspends my disbelief, nails my attention, stirs my emotions, pushes me to reflect on the human condition and/or gets my heart pounding. None of that is happening here. Kit's rambling voice does not signal the deep emotional complexity I look for in a good novel, whether "literary" or "commercial".
But tomato/tomayto. Perhaps some readers will like this.
But oh was I disappointed. I struggled to finish it, irritated by the voice of the narrator, Kit, and uneasy about the relationship between her and Crevan, with its underlying hints of some sort of weirdness between them. (Is it supposed to be some form of consensual sado-masochism? Or a man taking advantage of a vulnerable woman? Later events throw some light on this but in an unsatisfactory way.)
The overblown prose, the lack of clarity, the weirdness (and not in a good way).... It all struck me as rather self-indulgent. I should have paid more attention to the publisher's blurb: 'strikingly original' usually translates to 'annoyingly written.'
And annoyingly edited too. For example, in one early scene, she opens a door to half a wardrobe and describes the contents. She goes on and on about all the fabrics and colours and I'm thinking, wow, that's one hell of a tardis of a (half-)wardrobe to fit all that stuff! An editor should surely have reined in that sort of hyperbole. Half a wardrobe and it's got an entire household trousseau including quilt covers, as well as a huge variety of clothing -- including tulle dresses (plural), which anyone could tell you would take up most of the space there already. All that to drop in the comment that the synthetics could be destroyed by a plastic-eating virus. Some might say that's a neat, literary way to drop in an important piece of information like that (and again, another interesting scenario), but really, gimme a break. It took several pages and a tardis to get there. Needs a good dose of an editor's red pen.
If you're a fan of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, you might like this. I am not, and I don't, for much the same reasons. I'm not a fan of the sort of elitist approach to fiction that positions one novel as "LITERARY" or "intelligent" and another as "popular" or "commercial" fiction, based pretty much solely on the former using what are hardly more than literary gimmicks, such as overblown language or a weird narrative voice. What's "literary" and "intelligent" for me is a novel (-ist) that builds a world convincingly, suspends my disbelief, nails my attention, stirs my emotions, pushes me to reflect on the human condition and/or gets my heart pounding. None of that is happening here. Kit's rambling voice does not signal the deep emotional complexity I look for in a good novel, whether "literary" or "commercial".
But tomato/tomayto. Perhaps some readers will like this.
December 16, 2022
Thank you to the Overlook Press from Abrams for an eARC copy in exchange for a review!
I really wanted to like this book. Some of its passages will stay with me for a very long time; it carries a lyrical resonance that reminded me of being caught in a daydream, contemplating all kinds of metaphors for life. The book’s narrator Kit is incredibly insightful and sharp in her observations on post-apocalyptic life and scarily enough, some of these observations are useful for everyday life too.
My biggest issue with the book is that I felt so let down by the ending and the ostensible twist. Kit and Crevan’s relationship was also too mired in weird power dynamics (she calls him Daddy and at some point in the book, he beats her in an effort to “train” her to defend herself but it turns out he’s her MINDER? What?!) so that when they eventually were separated, I was glad for it.
I’m also not sure what point the book was trying to make. That humanity is awful? That surviving trauma does a number on someone? For all the book’s passages on metaphors and pithy insight, it never seems to stick the landing in getting to an actual point, which is incredibly disappointing given the potential this book has with its writing style. Add that to fact that I’m still not clear on the world-building, or the nature of the apocalypse that sets the book in motion (was it all just a huge coping mechanism for kit or was there actual bacteria that consumed plastic? Both?), and we have a book that is big on ideas but crumples under their weight.
I really wanted to like this book. Some of its passages will stay with me for a very long time; it carries a lyrical resonance that reminded me of being caught in a daydream, contemplating all kinds of metaphors for life. The book’s narrator Kit is incredibly insightful and sharp in her observations on post-apocalyptic life and scarily enough, some of these observations are useful for everyday life too.
My biggest issue with the book is that I felt so let down by the ending and the ostensible twist. Kit and Crevan’s relationship was also too mired in weird power dynamics (she calls him Daddy and at some point in the book, he beats her in an effort to “train” her to defend herself but it turns out he’s her MINDER? What?!) so that when they eventually were separated, I was glad for it.
I’m also not sure what point the book was trying to make. That humanity is awful? That surviving trauma does a number on someone? For all the book’s passages on metaphors and pithy insight, it never seems to stick the landing in getting to an actual point, which is incredibly disappointing given the potential this book has with its writing style. Add that to fact that I’m still not clear on the world-building, or the nature of the apocalypse that sets the book in motion (was it all just a huge coping mechanism for kit or was there actual bacteria that consumed plastic? Both?), and we have a book that is big on ideas but crumples under their weight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2022
Natasha Calder's debut solo novel is a dystopian book written in a classic style akin to Edger Allen Poe or Emily Bronte. The words pour across the page in a poetic and lyrical manner that adds to the ominous and gothic undertones of her story. Set sometime in the future, the reader is given a mystery filled quest to discover why the world has collapsed and who the islands only mysterious residents are. Kit and Crevan have an odd relationship that constantly felt like it was going to take a spicy turn but then would switch back to being almost parental. The passionate feelings and dark events reveal the characters' emotional intensity throughout the story, even if you never quite get the feeling that you know who the characters are. At times Kit is obnoxious and the book is told through her perspective but in the end I feel the reader is given valid, but not justified, reason for her behavior. I enjoyed how this book was both a mystery and a dystopian tale. It sets itself apart by not divulging the source of the destroyed world in the first few chapters and it keeps the pages turning as only small bits of information are divulged at a time. I would recommend this for fans of literary fiction who sometimes like to dabble in dystopian tales as this is not your typical end of the world book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Overlook Press for a chance to read an early copy of this book. This book is set to be released June 2023.
Thank you to NetGalley and Overlook Press for a chance to read an early copy of this book. This book is set to be released June 2023.
August 31, 2023
To say why it didn’t live up to its initial promise for me would give the story away so I won’t, but a good idea that lost me 4/5 of the way through…
September 7, 2022
4.5/5
A brisk page-turner of a novel set in a mysterious and lightly brushed science fiction world, told to us through the words of a very distinct narrator, who speaks to us in a way that is both childish and literary, often in repeated synonymous idioms as if counting off from a list buried somewhere deep in her mind. The influences on this novel are very clear, but it does manage to strike a tone of its own through this hodge-podge (even mentioning the potential comparisons by name, as is done in the publisher's description, seems somewhat too revealing, but certainly even from a pure tone standpoint they apply).
I have two real criticisms, one being that the narration sometimes overworks itself and crosses over into the realm of, for lack of better terminology coming to mind, seemingly trying too hard. And I think there's some bias on my part, as I feel like I've read my fair share of amateur-ish short stories (in creative writing courses especially) that aim for a similar hyper-stylized feel without quite getting to a state of believability. I feel that this novel is mostly successful at its prose but it does threaten to crumble at points, which leads to my second criticism, which is about the way the novel reveals its hands, orchestrates its twists, if you will. It just comes off as a bit too written, if that makes any sense. I don't have a problem with the reveals themselves but I think they could have come more organically.
Of course, those issues clearly did not prohibit me from enjoying the novel, which I did immensely. Even with that sometimes overworked narration, I loved the main character in all her psychological complexity, in her charming yet sinister lens on the world around her. It helps that she is also set within an intriguing location-- an island that teeters on the edge of abstraction, a bunker that undulates in its visualization as expectation and reality clash, an alluring and terrifying sea that separates the island by who knows how much from the so-called mainland. The understated thematic currents running through the novel that would probably be spoiler to explicitly reference (particularly because it all comes to a head in a relatively short chunk of text near the end) were also intriguing, and the glimpses we get throughout had me deeply wondering what the overall messaging would be, especially considering this novel as a product exists in our COVID-tainted world, and given the ideas it explores will inevitably be placed in that metatextual context. If this novel was written as a direct response to COVID, which I wouldn't be surprised by, it's enough on the side of subtlety to not cause one to cringe at the on-the-noseness that might arise from such a concept.
Thank you to ABRAMS and Netgalley for the eARC
A brisk page-turner of a novel set in a mysterious and lightly brushed science fiction world, told to us through the words of a very distinct narrator, who speaks to us in a way that is both childish and literary, often in repeated synonymous idioms as if counting off from a list buried somewhere deep in her mind. The influences on this novel are very clear, but it does manage to strike a tone of its own through this hodge-podge (even mentioning the potential comparisons by name, as is done in the publisher's description, seems somewhat too revealing, but certainly even from a pure tone standpoint they apply).
I have two real criticisms, one being that the narration sometimes overworks itself and crosses over into the realm of, for lack of better terminology coming to mind, seemingly trying too hard. And I think there's some bias on my part, as I feel like I've read my fair share of amateur-ish short stories (in creative writing courses especially) that aim for a similar hyper-stylized feel without quite getting to a state of believability. I feel that this novel is mostly successful at its prose but it does threaten to crumble at points, which leads to my second criticism, which is about the way the novel reveals its hands, orchestrates its twists, if you will. It just comes off as a bit too written, if that makes any sense. I don't have a problem with the reveals themselves but I think they could have come more organically.
Of course, those issues clearly did not prohibit me from enjoying the novel, which I did immensely. Even with that sometimes overworked narration, I loved the main character in all her psychological complexity, in her charming yet sinister lens on the world around her. It helps that she is also set within an intriguing location-- an island that teeters on the edge of abstraction, a bunker that undulates in its visualization as expectation and reality clash, an alluring and terrifying sea that separates the island by who knows how much from the so-called mainland. The understated thematic currents running through the novel that would probably be spoiler to explicitly reference (particularly because it all comes to a head in a relatively short chunk of text near the end) were also intriguing, and the glimpses we get throughout had me deeply wondering what the overall messaging would be, especially considering this novel as a product exists in our COVID-tainted world, and given the ideas it explores will inevitably be placed in that metatextual context. If this novel was written as a direct response to COVID, which I wouldn't be surprised by, it's enough on the side of subtlety to not cause one to cringe at the on-the-noseness that might arise from such a concept.
Thank you to ABRAMS and Netgalley for the eARC
August 28, 2024
I'd give it a 3.5! Enjoyed the writing far more once I eased into it, v poetic, v dramatic.
June 3, 2024
I’m still digesting this…
October 22, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a digital ARC copy!
Writing:
I love purple prose. Flowery, descriptive writing is my favorite kind of writing. Though, flowery and purple writing has to have a purpose behind it. In-depth descriptions should be describing things that matter and things that have relevance to the plot or characters (ie. Stephen King). Purple purse with lots of figurative langue should make sense in context and add to the story (ie. The Handmaid’s Tale). The problem with the writing in Whether Violent or Natural is that most of the descriptions didn’t add anything to the plot, characters, or even help picture the world. It felt like “look, see how good my writing my wringing is? See how fancy it is?” There were entire pages of the book that could have been taken out and not only still made sense but might have made the story easier to follow. I had a difficult time keeping track of what was happening in some scenes because they were filled with long descriptions of things that had no actual relevance to what was happening. The first 35% of the book was the worst offender and it got better after that. Not all of the writing was bad though! There were sections that I really enjoyed, such as the one below.
“The sea is a macrocosm and cares nothing for the micro. And if you don’t think you’re part of the micro, then you need to stop taking yourself so seriously and take a proper look at where you fit into the scale of things. Really. You just look out to the horizon the next time you stand on the shore and see if I’m wrong…”
“Because you are not a body, not merely, not unless you mean it in the astronomical sense, not unless – by some glory of chance – you already see yourself for what you truly are: a heavenly body, a celestial body; vast and star-touched. That is what you are, don’t let anyone say otherwise.”
Characters:
I admit freely that the characters still confuse me. One of my main issues with the novel was the main character Kit. She’s in her late twenties, but acts like a young child. Literally. She also thinks like a child, most of the time, but sometimes she thinks likes a fully functioning adult. The man she’s with, Crevan, is around her age or slightly older, but acts as her caretaker. He is clearly more responsible and thoughtful than she is so this partly makes sense. Their relationship did give me the ick though. It was partially a parent-child relationship and partially a only-with-you-because-there-is-no-one-else relationship, but it had weird sexual undertones. See below:
“‘All right, daddy,’ I say. ‘Whatever you like, daddy.’
He looks relieved. ‘Go wash your hands, then.’”
“He holds out half and I eat from his hand, tonguing the rough seeds and hungrily sucking out the pulp.”
Plot:
The plot was very straightforward though the end did have some good twists. I did feel slightly let down by the description as it applies to only a small portion of the actual novel. My main issues with the plot revolves around the dystopia aspect which will be discussed in more detail below in the spoiler section of the review.
⚠️ SPOILERS ⚠️
The Dystopia:
I enjoyed the premise of the dystopia: antibiotic and disinfectant resistant bacteria rapidly killed humans and plastic eating bacteria broke down many of the materials humans used to survive. The problem is… it was ruined by the revelation at the end. None of the dystopian setup mattered because it never actually was a dystopia. The dystopia was narrowly avoided. The main character was simply pretending to live in a post apocalyptic society and pretending to act like a child. It made the whole story incredibly creepy and unnerving. I hope that is what the author was going for because that’s what she ended up with.
Writing:
I love purple prose. Flowery, descriptive writing is my favorite kind of writing. Though, flowery and purple writing has to have a purpose behind it. In-depth descriptions should be describing things that matter and things that have relevance to the plot or characters (ie. Stephen King). Purple purse with lots of figurative langue should make sense in context and add to the story (ie. The Handmaid’s Tale). The problem with the writing in Whether Violent or Natural is that most of the descriptions didn’t add anything to the plot, characters, or even help picture the world. It felt like “look, see how good my writing my wringing is? See how fancy it is?” There were entire pages of the book that could have been taken out and not only still made sense but might have made the story easier to follow. I had a difficult time keeping track of what was happening in some scenes because they were filled with long descriptions of things that had no actual relevance to what was happening. The first 35% of the book was the worst offender and it got better after that. Not all of the writing was bad though! There were sections that I really enjoyed, such as the one below.
“The sea is a macrocosm and cares nothing for the micro. And if you don’t think you’re part of the micro, then you need to stop taking yourself so seriously and take a proper look at where you fit into the scale of things. Really. You just look out to the horizon the next time you stand on the shore and see if I’m wrong…”
“Because you are not a body, not merely, not unless you mean it in the astronomical sense, not unless – by some glory of chance – you already see yourself for what you truly are: a heavenly body, a celestial body; vast and star-touched. That is what you are, don’t let anyone say otherwise.”
Characters:
I admit freely that the characters still confuse me. One of my main issues with the novel was the main character Kit. She’s in her late twenties, but acts like a young child. Literally. She also thinks like a child, most of the time, but sometimes she thinks likes a fully functioning adult. The man she’s with, Crevan, is around her age or slightly older, but acts as her caretaker. He is clearly more responsible and thoughtful than she is so this partly makes sense. Their relationship did give me the ick though. It was partially a parent-child relationship and partially a only-with-you-because-there-is-no-one-else relationship, but it had weird sexual undertones. See below:
“‘All right, daddy,’ I say. ‘Whatever you like, daddy.’
He looks relieved. ‘Go wash your hands, then.’”
“He holds out half and I eat from his hand, tonguing the rough seeds and hungrily sucking out the pulp.”
Plot:
The plot was very straightforward though the end did have some good twists. I did feel slightly let down by the description as it applies to only a small portion of the actual novel. My main issues with the plot revolves around the dystopia aspect which will be discussed in more detail below in the spoiler section of the review.
⚠️ SPOILERS ⚠️
The Dystopia:
I enjoyed the premise of the dystopia: antibiotic and disinfectant resistant bacteria rapidly killed humans and plastic eating bacteria broke down many of the materials humans used to survive. The problem is… it was ruined by the revelation at the end. None of the dystopian setup mattered because it never actually was a dystopia. The dystopia was narrowly avoided. The main character was simply pretending to live in a post apocalyptic society and pretending to act like a child. It made the whole story incredibly creepy and unnerving. I hope that is what the author was going for because that’s what she ended up with.
July 23, 2023
#WhetherViolentOrNatural – Natasha Calder
#Bloomsbury
#JonathanBall
Polyethylene terephthalate was welcomed as a miracle invention; cheap, durable, light. Good old plastic. But the savior turned out to be a leviathan in disguise, threatening to suffocate the earth due to the very characteristics that were once regarded as benefits. A solution arrived in the form of plastic eating bacteria, unfortunately metamorphosing into a usurper when rogue antibiotic resistant bacteria evolve and mutate. Mankind is helpless in the face of medical threats resurrected from the past: syphilis, tuberculosis, cholera, tetanus, bubonic plague, pneumonia, septicemia. Infrastructure and medical and household appliances are destroyed when all plastic components are consumed in a bacterial feeding frenzy. What is left of humanity is less than human; constantly fighting for survival.
In an underground bunker on a remote island two survivors are hiding from the horror on the mainland. Crevan and Kit are living the proverbial paradise-like life in their Eden when the serpent arrives in the form of an unknown woman washed up by the waves. Although barely alive she causes the first serious rift between them: One wants her to live, the other wants her to die.
At first glance the novel appears to belong to the dystopian thriller genre, but, although no doubt dystopian, the slow pace, closed space and limited cast of characters are not conducive to it being a traditional thriller. Only three characters are named, the peripheral cast only referred to in generic terms, such as looters or backbiters. The setting is the island only and the only point of view is that of the first-person narrator, Kit, who is prone to endless unspoken monologues.
She is in no terms reliable as narrator, revealing as early as page 9 that Kit is not her real name, and warning that ‘…stories have a way of mulching into strange shapes when you aren’t looking…’ (12)
It is a pity that very little space is dedicated to the development and nature of the bacterial disaster itself; the focus is almost entirely on the present and the reader remains unaware of what life for the general population on the mainland has become like. But the language is exquisite. A foul reek is described as ‘…the worst of it was the smell, although smell certainly seems far too feeble a word to describe that particular olfactorial blight.’ (57) The narrative reveals itself leisurely and the unfolding of the hidden truths are described in prose-like detail.
Thriller lovers will most probably be left slightly disappointed, but as literary fiction it is indeed an enjoyable read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Uitdieperdsebek
#Bloomsbury
#JonathanBall
Polyethylene terephthalate was welcomed as a miracle invention; cheap, durable, light. Good old plastic. But the savior turned out to be a leviathan in disguise, threatening to suffocate the earth due to the very characteristics that were once regarded as benefits. A solution arrived in the form of plastic eating bacteria, unfortunately metamorphosing into a usurper when rogue antibiotic resistant bacteria evolve and mutate. Mankind is helpless in the face of medical threats resurrected from the past: syphilis, tuberculosis, cholera, tetanus, bubonic plague, pneumonia, septicemia. Infrastructure and medical and household appliances are destroyed when all plastic components are consumed in a bacterial feeding frenzy. What is left of humanity is less than human; constantly fighting for survival.
In an underground bunker on a remote island two survivors are hiding from the horror on the mainland. Crevan and Kit are living the proverbial paradise-like life in their Eden when the serpent arrives in the form of an unknown woman washed up by the waves. Although barely alive she causes the first serious rift between them: One wants her to live, the other wants her to die.
At first glance the novel appears to belong to the dystopian thriller genre, but, although no doubt dystopian, the slow pace, closed space and limited cast of characters are not conducive to it being a traditional thriller. Only three characters are named, the peripheral cast only referred to in generic terms, such as looters or backbiters. The setting is the island only and the only point of view is that of the first-person narrator, Kit, who is prone to endless unspoken monologues.
She is in no terms reliable as narrator, revealing as early as page 9 that Kit is not her real name, and warning that ‘…stories have a way of mulching into strange shapes when you aren’t looking…’ (12)
It is a pity that very little space is dedicated to the development and nature of the bacterial disaster itself; the focus is almost entirely on the present and the reader remains unaware of what life for the general population on the mainland has become like. But the language is exquisite. A foul reek is described as ‘…the worst of it was the smell, although smell certainly seems far too feeble a word to describe that particular olfactorial blight.’ (57) The narrative reveals itself leisurely and the unfolding of the hidden truths are described in prose-like detail.
Thriller lovers will most probably be left slightly disappointed, but as literary fiction it is indeed an enjoyable read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Uitdieperdsebek
March 22, 2023
Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️
ᑎETGᗩᒪᒪEY ARC
𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕍𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕠𝕣 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕒𝕝
𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
Dystopian Fiction
224 pages
Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs
This dystopian novel tells of a woman and man living safely on an island after devastation has struck the world. They stay in a bunker that is under a crumbling castle and have a working greenhouse as well.
The two have an odd relationship that is pushed apart after a comatose woman washes up to the island one day. One wants to help her; the other doesn’t. What will happen now?
Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs
I hate being negative when I write a review, but I also need to be honest. This is one of the oddest books I’ve read. I have read many dystopian books, and this just didn’t hit the mark for me.
First, the worldbuilding doesn’t clearly tell you what the heck happened, how these two ended up on this island, or what is going on on the mainland now. I had so many questions as I read. Some of them were answered in the end, but many were not.
The main character, Kit, is a whack a doodle of the first degree. She is supposedly an adult but acts like a child. She is terribly unlikable. Yet, she is the narrator, using high-level prose throughout the book. It is quite offsetting and irritating to read as I felt there was no way she would speak in such an educated way. I think that is what bothered me the most. Sometimes I found myself skipping over words because they were so over the top. The writing style would work for other types of stories, but not this one.
Kit kept referring to backbiters on the mainland as though they were some sort of dreaded monster. When that was finally explained at the end, it made no sense to me. Why did she call them backbiters? They didn’t bite backs. They didn’t say negative things behind others’ backs. Why, just why?
While the end did answer a few questions, it seemed rather ridiculous to me. The whole premise didn’t click. To be completely honest, if I hadn’t gotten this from NetGalley, I wouldn’t have continued reading it. I feel like it was missing parts that would have made it easier to understand.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.
ᑎETGᗩᒪᒪEY ARC
𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕍𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕠𝕣 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕒𝕝
𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
Dystopian Fiction
224 pages
Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs
This dystopian novel tells of a woman and man living safely on an island after devastation has struck the world. They stay in a bunker that is under a crumbling castle and have a working greenhouse as well.
The two have an odd relationship that is pushed apart after a comatose woman washes up to the island one day. One wants to help her; the other doesn’t. What will happen now?
Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs
I hate being negative when I write a review, but I also need to be honest. This is one of the oddest books I’ve read. I have read many dystopian books, and this just didn’t hit the mark for me.
First, the worldbuilding doesn’t clearly tell you what the heck happened, how these two ended up on this island, or what is going on on the mainland now. I had so many questions as I read. Some of them were answered in the end, but many were not.
The main character, Kit, is a whack a doodle of the first degree. She is supposedly an adult but acts like a child. She is terribly unlikable. Yet, she is the narrator, using high-level prose throughout the book. It is quite offsetting and irritating to read as I felt there was no way she would speak in such an educated way. I think that is what bothered me the most. Sometimes I found myself skipping over words because they were so over the top. The writing style would work for other types of stories, but not this one.
Kit kept referring to backbiters on the mainland as though they were some sort of dreaded monster. When that was finally explained at the end, it made no sense to me. Why did she call them backbiters? They didn’t bite backs. They didn’t say negative things behind others’ backs. Why, just why?
While the end did answer a few questions, it seemed rather ridiculous to me. The whole premise didn’t click. To be completely honest, if I hadn’t gotten this from NetGalley, I wouldn’t have continued reading it. I feel like it was missing parts that would have made it easier to understand.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.
September 9, 2022
“She’s hardly a threat. Look, she’s half dead.”
Which is not nearly dead enough, not according to me, not according to anyone.
. . .
Kit and Crevan are living on an island while bacterial infections rage on the mainland in this dystopian novel. One day, they find a half-drowned woman in the sea, and Crevan chooses to save her. The novel is told from Kti’s perspective, and she slowly reveals the secrets of her traumatic past and how she is coping with them in the present.
This is a book about trauma, and Kit's inner monologues make up the majority of the novel. They are written in lyrical prose with lots of wordplay. Because so much of the story is told through Kit's eyes, with few brief moments of dialogue, the prose was overwhelming at times. This was definitely not a novel I could finish in one sitting. I needed breaks from Kit’s wandering, unsound inner monologues. I was also slightly annoyed that a lot of the story’s mysteries were resolved in info-dumpy sections. I thought the story could have been more compelling if as readers we got some of the details about the distopian world and Kit's past from more natural character interactions, or that Crevan could have let more information slip. While this narrative wasn't my favorite, I was intrigued by the prose style and look forward to seeing more work by this author.
One of Kit's coping strategies for dealing with her traumatic past is playing pretend--mostly by engaging in ageplay. She refers to herself often as “baby” and Crevan as “daddy.” The age play doesn't have a sexual component, but it might be off putting to some readers.
I think this novel can prompt lots of discussion, but readers should be aware that this is not your standard trope-y YA dystopian novel. Instead, if you like lyrical prose, slow building tension, and the psychology of trauma, give this book a try.
I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Which is not nearly dead enough, not according to me, not according to anyone.
. . .
Kit and Crevan are living on an island while bacterial infections rage on the mainland in this dystopian novel. One day, they find a half-drowned woman in the sea, and Crevan chooses to save her. The novel is told from Kti’s perspective, and she slowly reveals the secrets of her traumatic past and how she is coping with them in the present.
This is a book about trauma, and Kit's inner monologues make up the majority of the novel. They are written in lyrical prose with lots of wordplay. Because so much of the story is told through Kit's eyes, with few brief moments of dialogue, the prose was overwhelming at times. This was definitely not a novel I could finish in one sitting. I needed breaks from Kit’s wandering, unsound inner monologues. I was also slightly annoyed that a lot of the story’s mysteries were resolved in info-dumpy sections. I thought the story could have been more compelling if as readers we got some of the details about the distopian world and Kit's past from more natural character interactions, or that Crevan could have let more information slip. While this narrative wasn't my favorite, I was intrigued by the prose style and look forward to seeing more work by this author.
One of Kit's coping strategies for dealing with her traumatic past is playing pretend--mostly by engaging in ageplay. She refers to herself often as “baby” and Crevan as “daddy.” The age play doesn't have a sexual component, but it might be off putting to some readers.
I think this novel can prompt lots of discussion, but readers should be aware that this is not your standard trope-y YA dystopian novel. Instead, if you like lyrical prose, slow building tension, and the psychology of trauma, give this book a try.
I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2023
When it’s good, lyrical writing feels like an author has uncovered some strange, universal emotion or observation that you’ve experienced all your life, but never had a name for. When it’s bad, lyrical writing is purple prose tripping over itself to be poetic, interesting, metaphorical, and roundabout.
This book had some gorgeous writing. Unfortunately, about half of it fell directly into the purple bucket and had me thinking “oh my goodness, please just describe what is happening directly”.
The story was intriguing, the length was just right (little bigger than a novella), but the writing was a real bear to get through. I couldn’t connect. Some of the metaphors worked and some were in space. I recommend this one to fans of Cassandra Khaw, who also writes intriguing horror in flowery ways I do not appreciate.
This book had some gorgeous writing. Unfortunately, about half of it fell directly into the purple bucket and had me thinking “oh my goodness, please just describe what is happening directly”.
The story was intriguing, the length was just right (little bigger than a novella), but the writing was a real bear to get through. I couldn’t connect. Some of the metaphors worked and some were in space. I recommend this one to fans of Cassandra Khaw, who also writes intriguing horror in flowery ways I do not appreciate.
November 23, 2023
urgh. look i can't even begin to describe how offputting this book was. not only from the overly purple prose jampacked full of words that left you nowhere, but the flop of a plot that felt weak and disappointing (though i was not disappointed i had reached the last page of this book).
the good:
- bones of an interesting story - dystopian chaos future where a superbug has left a woman and a man to their own on an island. enter (on the tides) a floating mystery body.
- hey i learned some new words from reading this
- the sheer volume of ...description means you can definitely build the world in your brain.
- it's short (trying not to complain here)
- the reveal wasn't along the lines of what i was expecting.
the bad:
- why'd you kill off the only interesting thing about the story noooo
- hey it felt like the author didn't know what half of the curly vocab she used actually meant!
- this is the edited copy?
- if i had a penny for every useless word in here i would be reading my next book on a throne of pennies, inside my house made of pennies on the slopes of Penny Mountain.
the ugly:
- the main character is so distasteful and despicable (and cringe might i add) that i want to spend the least amount of time with her as possible. this is the first and hopefully last time i will see a character use 'daddy' to refer to their partner.
- in fact is any character in here worthy of care from us? i just feel sorry for crevan for being trapped on that island with her.
this felt more like the first few chapters of something that could've gone somewhere interesting. instead i spent 80% of the book skimming the first sentence of every paragraph to get to act III. this is a reminder to myself to please not pick up every single book with an interesting cover because they can just as easily be duds and in fact bring pain into your life.
the good:
- bones of an interesting story - dystopian chaos future where a superbug has left a woman and a man to their own on an island. enter (on the tides) a floating mystery body.
- hey i learned some new words from reading this
- the sheer volume of ...description means you can definitely build the world in your brain.
- it's short (trying not to complain here)
- the reveal wasn't along the lines of what i was expecting.
the bad:
- why'd you kill off the only interesting thing about the story noooo
- hey it felt like the author didn't know what half of the curly vocab she used actually meant!
- this is the edited copy?
- if i had a penny for every useless word in here i would be reading my next book on a throne of pennies, inside my house made of pennies on the slopes of Penny Mountain.
the ugly:
- the main character is so distasteful and despicable (and cringe might i add) that i want to spend the least amount of time with her as possible. this is the first and hopefully last time i will see a character use 'daddy' to refer to their partner.
- in fact is any character in here worthy of care from us? i just feel sorry for crevan for being trapped on that island with her.
this felt more like the first few chapters of something that could've gone somewhere interesting. instead i spent 80% of the book skimming the first sentence of every paragraph to get to act III. this is a reminder to myself to please not pick up every single book with an interesting cover because they can just as easily be duds and in fact bring pain into your life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2023
An interesting take on the post-apocalyptic novel with the young, turbulent Kit who lives on an isolated island with the enigmatic Creven. They live off the plentiful supplies of an emergency bunker and a fruitful greenhouse after catastrophic antibiotic resistance sweeps the world . Their strange, shifting relationship is challenged when an unconscious woman washes up on shore. Creven is determined to aid while Kit is unsure of letting someone into their haven who could bring disease with her. Their conflict brings deception and and secrecy to the fore.
There were parts I enjoyed, the nods to the Tempest, the strange and unsettling central relationship, the idea of the Backbiters, former physicians spreading more harm than good as they stick rigidly to old ways of thinking. But there are quite a few problems. Kit's voice grates after a while, her habit of waxing lyrical, using several metaphors where one would do, her penchant for repetition and flights of fancy. It's perhaps a Shakespearean-esque conceit but it clashes with the sparse worldbuilding, with small bits of information make understanding the context difficult. This is meant to be reflective of the gaps in Kit's own knowledge and memory but doesn't fit with the depth of knowledge and awareness of other subjects in her stream-of-consciousness narration. Further reason for this disconnect is revealed towards the end but the story still felt barely fleshed out, a working draft rather than a finished article.
There were parts I enjoyed, the nods to the Tempest, the strange and unsettling central relationship, the idea of the Backbiters, former physicians spreading more harm than good as they stick rigidly to old ways of thinking. But there are quite a few problems. Kit's voice grates after a while, her habit of waxing lyrical, using several metaphors where one would do, her penchant for repetition and flights of fancy. It's perhaps a Shakespearean-esque conceit but it clashes with the sparse worldbuilding, with small bits of information make understanding the context difficult. This is meant to be reflective of the gaps in Kit's own knowledge and memory but doesn't fit with the depth of knowledge and awareness of other subjects in her stream-of-consciousness narration. Further reason for this disconnect is revealed towards the end but the story still felt barely fleshed out, a working draft rather than a finished article.
June 14, 2023
This book takes place in a post-apocalyptic scenario in which antibiotic-resistant superbacteria have evolved which can eat through any and all plastics as well as being deadly and contagious, a combination which swiftly destroyed humans and their society at the same time. Kit, our POV character, was all alone on her island for a long time before Crevan came along and changed her lonely world. But after Crevan rescues a drowning woman from the ocean, everything changes.
The narration is sort of stream-of-consciousness (and Kit is an extremely unreliable narrator) and the book gives me a “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” vibe. Kit has been alone for a long, long time, and can be quite childish and strange as a result. But this is also a result of trauma, and not just the trauma of prolonged isolation. Kit and Crevan have a pretty messy relationship, codependent and manipulative and even somewhat abusive, but that’s almost to be expected of two messed up people who are each other’s entire world, while the world outside is ending.
There’s a twist at the end, kind of a two-part twist, and I won’t spoil anything but I didn’t care for it because I felt like half of it was not foreshadowed well enough. It just kind of felt like it came out of nowhere. That being said, I did enjoy the book overall.
I received an advance copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The narration is sort of stream-of-consciousness (and Kit is an extremely unreliable narrator) and the book gives me a “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” vibe. Kit has been alone for a long, long time, and can be quite childish and strange as a result. But this is also a result of trauma, and not just the trauma of prolonged isolation. Kit and Crevan have a pretty messy relationship, codependent and manipulative and even somewhat abusive, but that’s almost to be expected of two messed up people who are each other’s entire world, while the world outside is ending.
There’s a twist at the end, kind of a two-part twist, and I won’t spoil anything but I didn’t care for it because I felt like half of it was not foreshadowed well enough. It just kind of felt like it came out of nowhere. That being said, I did enjoy the book overall.
I received an advance copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 25, 2023
Well, it was interesting. I didn't devour the book like I tend to do when a story grips me, but I was motivated to finish it, at least. There are zero remotely likable characters, though sometimes stories are like that and it's not necessarily a fault. My biggest issue was that the writing style felt tedious often. All throughout the book there are many examples of good sentences, impactful phrases, interesting lines of thought. HOWEVER, it was as of the author had many good ideas for different ways to express each of these little thoughts and sentences, and instead of picking the best one, they just put all of them. So many things are written 3,4,5 different ways all in a row. It may just be a writing style quirk, or something specific to the voice of this character, but good grief I got tired of it and it never abated. If each of those instances had just used the best of each example, it could have shaved off a good 30% of the book. It felt like quite a bit of filler after a while. Unfortunately no plot points or characters get to a satisfying resolution. We only ever really get to know the few characters shallowly, so I never experienced any emotional connection or strong reaction to what happened to them. The plot twist wasn't so shocking to me because you can tell from the very start of the book that the transparency of the narrator is unreliable. The biggest surprise of the story is how little everything you read for 200+ pages actually mattered at the end.
April 7, 2024
“Do you know where you are? Do you remember what happened? Do you dream at all? Do you wish? Do you hope? Are you content? Are you afraid?”
Listen, I love an atmospheric, existential, post-apocalyptic narrative just as much as the next fella. What I like more is when someone does them a little different. Calder’s narrator, and her childlike, indulgent introspection sets this novel apart. This is not a world weary, battle scarred, jaded grump picking their way across the end of the world. Her perplexing, even esoteric at times, monologues could lose more impatient readers, but more literary minded audience members may connect a little more with the pace. “…not a care in eternity, snoozing, eternally, dozy with dreaming and dust.” C’mon, how pleasant is that? There’s complex and peculiar human interaction present. Or, as much as we could predict human nature to be in the face of such a great and terrible fate. I didn’t foresee the ending, either, and that was also a satisfying surprise.
I think this may be the longest it’s ever taken me to read a 200~ page book; I could put it down and not feel so inclined to pick it up again. In saying that, I genuinely enjoyed the book when it was in my hands. There’s a hook problem, and it’s so easy to get smothered in purple prose, losing important plot points. But, on the flip side of that, some of that purple prose fuckin’ ruled.
3/5 I think if you’d given this story half a Red Bull, it would’ve climbed into 4 star territory.
Listen, I love an atmospheric, existential, post-apocalyptic narrative just as much as the next fella. What I like more is when someone does them a little different. Calder’s narrator, and her childlike, indulgent introspection sets this novel apart. This is not a world weary, battle scarred, jaded grump picking their way across the end of the world. Her perplexing, even esoteric at times, monologues could lose more impatient readers, but more literary minded audience members may connect a little more with the pace. “…not a care in eternity, snoozing, eternally, dozy with dreaming and dust.” C’mon, how pleasant is that? There’s complex and peculiar human interaction present. Or, as much as we could predict human nature to be in the face of such a great and terrible fate. I didn’t foresee the ending, either, and that was also a satisfying surprise.
I think this may be the longest it’s ever taken me to read a 200~ page book; I could put it down and not feel so inclined to pick it up again. In saying that, I genuinely enjoyed the book when it was in my hands. There’s a hook problem, and it’s so easy to get smothered in purple prose, losing important plot points. But, on the flip side of that, some of that purple prose fuckin’ ruled.
3/5 I think if you’d given this story half a Red Bull, it would’ve climbed into 4 star territory.
January 31, 2023
I quite genuinely despised this book. The excerpt is enticing and I was so excited to read it so when I initially saw all the bad reviews I was doubtful.
Lets just say, I should have trusted the people and moved on with my life. Whether Violent or Natural was the most pointless addition to my life, ever. Barely an addition at all, possibly even a subtraction.
Bottom line up front? The main character is a psychopath. Jesus, by the end of it I couldn't help but wonder if reading this book made me one too. The writing is chaotic; from the first chapter all I could think about was that this author HAS to have OCD. She sure writes like it. Some people are definitely going to find Calder's writing beautiful, but it will take a very specific type of person.
Personally, I was ready to be locked up in an asylum after clawing my way through 224 pages. There is zero storyline, none, nada, zip. The main character is a lunatic, a 30 year old playing child who is straight delusional.
I'm trying really hard not to spoil it, but when I say this book is pointless, I genuinely mean it. I finished the last page just wishing I could have my time back. Maybe, just maybe if Calder hadn't verbalized psychosis on paper for 200 pages, I could have enjoyed her writing.
But I didn't.
Lets just say, I should have trusted the people and moved on with my life. Whether Violent or Natural was the most pointless addition to my life, ever. Barely an addition at all, possibly even a subtraction.
Bottom line up front? The main character is a psychopath. Jesus, by the end of it I couldn't help but wonder if reading this book made me one too. The writing is chaotic; from the first chapter all I could think about was that this author HAS to have OCD. She sure writes like it. Some people are definitely going to find Calder's writing beautiful, but it will take a very specific type of person.
Personally, I was ready to be locked up in an asylum after clawing my way through 224 pages. There is zero storyline, none, nada, zip. The main character is a lunatic, a 30 year old playing child who is straight delusional.
I'm trying really hard not to spoil it, but when I say this book is pointless, I genuinely mean it. I finished the last page just wishing I could have my time back. Maybe, just maybe if Calder hadn't verbalized psychosis on paper for 200 pages, I could have enjoyed her writing.
But I didn't.
June 27, 2023
Depends on what you want...
More of a literary work than a fun read.
An unconscious woman washes ashore on the island where 'Kit' and Crevan dwell in isolation and safety from an, ostensibly, savage post apocalyptic outside world. Drama unfolds from there.
For me the surface level story was arresting enough, the suspense sparingly sufficient to move me, occasionally grudgingly though usually willingly, through the read.
At times I felt information was dropped like stone, or maybe an avalanche. Here, the guise of narration in the MC's voice grew too thin.
The prose was poetic and full of attempted twists of language and wordplays to turn meaning. Not all such attempts failed or fell flat. On balance though, for me they added little more than a lot of words.
The author has used the unreliable witness trope to drive the plot. For me there's nothing wrong with using tried and tested methods to explore human nature and the darkness therein, the nature of reality and how suffering can break us and spread to those close to us. In this book, it worked a little sometimes and lapsed into dull cliché other times; generally bogged down by the language. On balance lukewarm.
I wouldn't not recommend it. If you see what I mean.
More of a literary work than a fun read.
An unconscious woman washes ashore on the island where 'Kit' and Crevan dwell in isolation and safety from an, ostensibly, savage post apocalyptic outside world. Drama unfolds from there.
For me the surface level story was arresting enough, the suspense sparingly sufficient to move me, occasionally grudgingly though usually willingly, through the read.
At times I felt information was dropped like stone, or maybe an avalanche. Here, the guise of narration in the MC's voice grew too thin.
The prose was poetic and full of attempted twists of language and wordplays to turn meaning. Not all such attempts failed or fell flat. On balance though, for me they added little more than a lot of words.
The author has used the unreliable witness trope to drive the plot. For me there's nothing wrong with using tried and tested methods to explore human nature and the darkness therein, the nature of reality and how suffering can break us and spread to those close to us. In this book, it worked a little sometimes and lapsed into dull cliché other times; generally bogged down by the language. On balance lukewarm.
I wouldn't not recommend it. If you see what I mean.
January 10, 2023
2.5 / 5
"Whether Violent or Natural" is a dystopian novel with a rather interesting premise: antibiotic resistance is purging the world of humans.
We follow most of the story through Kit's inner monologue and it is through this choice of perspective that my main critique comes about. Kit is borderline insufferable and the relationship between her and Crevan is disturbing. She continuously refers to Crevan as "daddy" and herself as "baby", and whilst there is no explicit sexual nature to this relationship, occasionally there are pieces of dialogue which definitely have slight sexual undertones. I also initially had a hard time discerning the ages of the characters due to this.
However, I thoroughly enjoyed the lyrical nature of the prose throughout this book and it is the reason that I continued reading even though I wasn't otherwise 100% sold on the book. I am a big fan of stream-of-consciousness writing and the fuzzy/daydream-like feeling that comes along with it. If you also enjoy this writing style, it might be worth a read!
Thank you to NetGalley, Natasha Calder, and Bloomsbury Publishing for the digital ARC!
"Whether Violent or Natural" is a dystopian novel with a rather interesting premise: antibiotic resistance is purging the world of humans.
We follow most of the story through Kit's inner monologue and it is through this choice of perspective that my main critique comes about. Kit is borderline insufferable and the relationship between her and Crevan is disturbing. She continuously refers to Crevan as "daddy" and herself as "baby", and whilst there is no explicit sexual nature to this relationship, occasionally there are pieces of dialogue which definitely have slight sexual undertones. I also initially had a hard time discerning the ages of the characters due to this.
However, I thoroughly enjoyed the lyrical nature of the prose throughout this book and it is the reason that I continued reading even though I wasn't otherwise 100% sold on the book. I am a big fan of stream-of-consciousness writing and the fuzzy/daydream-like feeling that comes along with it. If you also enjoy this writing style, it might be worth a read!
Thank you to NetGalley, Natasha Calder, and Bloomsbury Publishing for the digital ARC!
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