9 Comments
May 21, 2022Liked by Lani Diane Rich

I've really limited myself in the genres I read over the years, mostly because my reading time is so limited that I tend to stick with what I *know* I'll enjoy -- romance novels, lol. But I've been working over the last few years to expand what I read.

I *never* read books like this with the world so...fluid might be the best way to explain it. I really like Nemesin's imagery and the way she creates characters. I tend to connect more with characters than plots, so I put up with a lot of nonsense if I like who I'm reading about. I thought at first maybe I wouldn't get really strong characters but I feel like that's definitely not what's happened in the first 100 pages. I'm really invested in Manny and Brooklyn, but I hope Bel doesn't disappear. And Aislynn is such an empathetic character. I don't know if I like her, but I certainly understand her.

So far my favorite part has been the cabbie driver. She was such a roller coaster, and I hope we get to see her again.

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May 29, 2022Liked by Lani Diane Rich

Sorry I’m late!

My favourite part is the prologue. I love the language, it feels like play and is joyful to read, so lyrical and evocative. I like how things come across as impressions rather than clear descriptions. I miss this style when it’s gone and I do hope it returns. It’s funny when the writing turns to a more straightforward style I find it way more confusing and hard to follow (but that’s probably more a reflection on me than the writing). I’m enjoying the city avatar idea, it reminds me of the living cities depicted in anime and manga.

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May 25, 2022Liked by Lani Diane Rich

Hi! Firstly, thank you for setting up this book group. It is a real pleasure to read the thought-provoking comments here, and I'm already looking forward to talking about the next reading, but I'm getting ahead of myself!

I thought I knew what to expect having read and very much enjoyed Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, but this is quite different other than the welcome diversity and zero tokenism of the protagonists we've met so far. In fact, I didn't like it at first for reasons that are hard to define but I think predominantly rest upon the fact that I found it a disorienting experience. Now, I realise that that's completely intentional on Jemisin's part and she writes brilliantly. I just personally didn't enjoy feeling queasy alongside the characters.

I am in awe of the way in which Jemisin can write with such immediacy, conveying a sense of urgency that feels electric, and that drew me in and kept me going. I adore the cast of characters we've met so far, especially Bel, Brooklyn and... ok, everyone.

Finally, and off on a slight tangent, I would love to see the births of other cities and how the mysterious Enemy manifests itself elsewhere (I absolutely see a metaphor for white supremacy so far).

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May 24, 2022Liked by Lani Diane Rich

I’m late to the party, sorry! I’ve been in the middle of a move all week with 3 small-ish kids. I’ve survived, feel a little back to my senses again, and SO ready to participate! I caught up on the readings today.

At first, I didn’t like the book. The initial 30 pages or so were tough to get any sense of the world we are in with this story. Not because of the writing, but because it’s not like anything I typically read. I got to steadier footing when I realized this reads like a social commentary on hate and the expected conformity of cis, binary, straight, and white. Where power is limited and requires stepping on every interloper (used beautifully in the book) on the way up the ladder to keep white-washed patriarchy within belief systems.

I like your thoughts, Lani on how this book flips the expected character on its head. How the characters very beautifully address the white default assumption and instead are written diversely; there is no whiteness assumption here and it’s pretty fantastic.

It’s interesting how hate is symbolized as an infection, a disease. It doesn’t quite seem like all hope is lost for someone who has been infected, though. Hope seems to be there in the form of redemption with a possible cure or antedote maybe? I don’t know yet. But I’m interested to see how that concept plays out.

Also, and I want to tease this out more, but it feels like the people living in the city, the ones who make the city what it is (the hustle, the bustle, the road rage), are kind of like cogs in a cuckoo clock. They collectively tell a story of the borough and they run the clock, the story, day in and day out. You know, like those fancy German clocks with the people that pop in and out at the hour, telling some sort of story of their own. Or even the more intricate ones with animals chasing other animals around the clock every hour. The people that exist in the FDR traffic, the couple on the hill, the onlookers at the subway; they all seem like the inner workings of those clocks somehow.

I hope to see Douglas Avecedo, Plumber again. The whole theme of a plumber repairing pipes is kind of crunchy. Or might be.

I’ve also been sitting with the umbrella and probably trying to make it something it isn’t. But it either feels very Mary Poppins… or something of a literal rain shield… or simply an item of convenience?

Regardless of my own guesswork, I love that Manny is figuring this whole thing out along with the rest of us, the readers. Some pages feel like bouncing theories and ideas about what’s going on with a friend, as Manny wonders the same things I find myself wondering about.

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