You can always count on RJB to write a stunningly original work of fantasy that’s precisely and cunningly crafted to leave its reader feeling bereft aYou can always count on RJB to write a stunningly original work of fantasy that’s precisely and cunningly crafted to leave its reader feeling bereft and abandoned and craving a sequel like an ember craves air. This was so good. 10/10. Would read again in a heartbeat.
There is so much to sing about here, but what I loved most about this book is how it roots so hard for its neurodivergent protagonists who have to actively and painstakingly manifest worth and recognition in a world that gives them so readily and abundantly to everyone else. This is in many ways a story about being confronted with systems of power that make no allowance for difference, where difference is in fact recorded as suspect, and differently abled bodies become the locus of aberrance even as they are exploited, manipulated, and remade for the use, whims, and fantasies of the rich and powerful. It’s a story about transgressing, defying, redressing and resisting this dominant order, sometimes at world-destroying costs. You will find so many resonances here with the overlapping crises of our contemporary moment, and it might just make you afraid.
If you’re a fan of the unique dynamic of Sherlock and Watson, the eccentric flare of Benoit Blanc in Knives Out (2019), and/or like your fantasy with more than a dash of murder, mystery, and existential threat—this is for you. Heck, if you’re just a fan of a good time, you do not wanna miss this book! Read it for yourself, and let it bedazzle your brain....more
Rebecca walked so Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne could run!
All in all, gorgeous writing. There is a keen sense of suspense in the beginning that kept me riveteRebecca walked so Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne could run!
All in all, gorgeous writing. There is a keen sense of suspense in the beginning that kept me riveted to the page. Such a gnawing and permeating portrait of anxiety, painting so clearly the feeling of being wound up so tight, a piano wire so taut it might snap at any moment. The novel, unfortunately, does not sustain it throughout, and the thrill sags somewhere around the middle. Respectfully to our unnamed narrator, I think this would have been a more compelling read if it switched to Rebecca’s perspective at some point. What can I say? I support women's rights, but I fucking dig women's wrongs....more