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This Great Hemisphere
From the award-winning and bestselling author of Black Buck : A speculative novel about a young woman—invisible by birth and relegated to second-class citizenship—who sets off on a mission to find her older brother, whom she had presumed dead but who is now the primary suspect in a high-profile political murder.
Despite the odds, Sweetmint, a young invisible woman, has done everything right her entire life—school, university, and now a highly sought-after apprenticeship with one of the Northwestern Hemisphere’s premier inventors, a non-invisible man belonging to the dominant population who is as eccentric as he is enigmatic. But the world she has fought so hard to build after the disappearance of her older brother comes crashing down when authorities claim that not only is he well and alive, he’s also the main suspect in the murder of the Chief Executive of the Northwestern Hemisphere.
A manhunt ensues, and Sweetmint, armed with courage, intellect, and unwavering love for her brother, sets off on a mission to find him before it’s too late. With five days until the hemisphere’s big election, Sweetmint must dodge a relentless law officer who’s determined to maintain order and an ambitious politician with sights set on becoming the next Chief Executive by any means necessary.
With the awe-inspiring defiance of The Power and the ever-shifting machinations of House of Cards , This Great Hemisphere is a novel that brilliantly illustrates the degree to which reality can be shaped by non-truths and vicious manipulations, while shining a light on our ability to surprise ourselves when we stop giving in to the narratives others have written for us.
Despite the odds, Sweetmint, a young invisible woman, has done everything right her entire life—school, university, and now a highly sought-after apprenticeship with one of the Northwestern Hemisphere’s premier inventors, a non-invisible man belonging to the dominant population who is as eccentric as he is enigmatic. But the world she has fought so hard to build after the disappearance of her older brother comes crashing down when authorities claim that not only is he well and alive, he’s also the main suspect in the murder of the Chief Executive of the Northwestern Hemisphere.
A manhunt ensues, and Sweetmint, armed with courage, intellect, and unwavering love for her brother, sets off on a mission to find him before it’s too late. With five days until the hemisphere’s big election, Sweetmint must dodge a relentless law officer who’s determined to maintain order and an ambitious politician with sights set on becoming the next Chief Executive by any means necessary.
With the awe-inspiring defiance of The Power and the ever-shifting machinations of House of Cards , This Great Hemisphere is a novel that brilliantly illustrates the degree to which reality can be shaped by non-truths and vicious manipulations, while shining a light on our ability to surprise ourselves when we stop giving in to the narratives others have written for us.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published July 9, 2024
106 people are currently reading
10583 people want to read
About the author
Mateo Askaripour
3 books1,080 followers“A month ago, I’d never heard of Mateo Askaripour. Today I would buy anything from him.”
—Ron Charles, The Washington Post
Mateo Askaripour wants people to feel seen. His first novel, Black Buck, takes on racism in corporate America with humor and wit. It was an instant New York Times bestseller and a Read with Jenna Today show book club pick. Askaripour was chosen as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “10 rising stars poised to make waves” and was named as a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35” prize. This Great Hemisphere, published in July 2024, is his second novel. He lives in Brooklyn. Follow him on Instagram @AskMateo.
—Ron Charles, The Washington Post
Mateo Askaripour wants people to feel seen. His first novel, Black Buck, takes on racism in corporate America with humor and wit. It was an instant New York Times bestseller and a Read with Jenna Today show book club pick. Askaripour was chosen as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “10 rising stars poised to make waves” and was named as a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35” prize. This Great Hemisphere, published in July 2024, is his second novel. He lives in Brooklyn. Follow him on Instagram @AskMateo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
October 26, 2024
speculative!
i've read books where the synopsis is better than the actual book, but this is the first time i've wished the whole book was the prologue.
this great hemisphere begins in modern-day new york city, as a Black unhoused woman who is continually overlooked by society gives birth to a baby who is literally invisible. this brief introduction to our story is striking and raw, and i found myself gobbling up the pages.
then, moments after the birth, we're dropped 500 years in the future and this becomes a strange, almost young-adult-dystopian feeling sci-fi speculation of what our world could be. instead of the emotional and pared down writing we had, we have to spend passages of dialogue with quirky inventors who are explaining why there aren't hovercrafts.
it's a bummer.
bottom line: another point in favor of prologue haters.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
i've read books where the synopsis is better than the actual book, but this is the first time i've wished the whole book was the prologue.
this great hemisphere begins in modern-day new york city, as a Black unhoused woman who is continually overlooked by society gives birth to a baby who is literally invisible. this brief introduction to our story is striking and raw, and i found myself gobbling up the pages.
then, moments after the birth, we're dropped 500 years in the future and this becomes a strange, almost young-adult-dystopian feeling sci-fi speculation of what our world could be. instead of the emotional and pared down writing we had, we have to spend passages of dialogue with quirky inventors who are explaining why there aren't hovercrafts.
it's a bummer.
bottom line: another point in favor of prologue haters.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
Read
March 30, 2024This book made me understand what people mean by “crackling prose.” It zips right along. It’s almost cinematic. The scenes tumble forward one after another. I’m not exactly the right audience for it in that I wished for more depth and nuance but that is not this book.
July 19, 2024
I’ll never forget the moment in Colson Whitehead’s novel “The Underground Railroad” when subterranean train tracks first appear stretching off into a dark tunnel. That 19th-century metaphor pounded into iron in the forge of Whitehead’s mind powers one of the best novels of the 21st century.
Mateo Askaripour attempts a similar maneuver in his new novel, “This Great Hemisphere.” Inspired by the central conceit of Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man,” Askaripour imagines a future world in which the people of a repressed racial minority are literally see-through.
After a brief, tantalizing prologue set in modern-day New York, Askaripour plunges us into a richly imagined dystopia set in the year 2529. Having emerged from a series of planet-wrecking catastrophes, human society and human biology have been radically reconstituted. In this strict apartheid system, members of the Dominant Population — DPs — exercise total control over all aspects of life by wielding advanced technology and highly prejudicial interpretations of the Bible.
Meanwhile, a physically transparent race of people known as Invisibles subsists as best they can in the forest. Many of them paint their skin “in whatever colors conformed to their mood, the latest trends, or the longing to be something they were not.” A few wear clothes in a misguided effort to curry respectability, but some Invisibles move about naked as mere ripples in the light. They identify each other by their “scentprints” and their “rumoyas,” a kind of “cell spirit” unique. . . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post::
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
Mateo Askaripour attempts a similar maneuver in his new novel, “This Great Hemisphere.” Inspired by the central conceit of Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man,” Askaripour imagines a future world in which the people of a repressed racial minority are literally see-through.
After a brief, tantalizing prologue set in modern-day New York, Askaripour plunges us into a richly imagined dystopia set in the year 2529. Having emerged from a series of planet-wrecking catastrophes, human society and human biology have been radically reconstituted. In this strict apartheid system, members of the Dominant Population — DPs — exercise total control over all aspects of life by wielding advanced technology and highly prejudicial interpretations of the Bible.
Meanwhile, a physically transparent race of people known as Invisibles subsists as best they can in the forest. Many of them paint their skin “in whatever colors conformed to their mood, the latest trends, or the longing to be something they were not.” A few wear clothes in a misguided effort to curry respectability, but some Invisibles move about naked as mere ripples in the light. They identify each other by their “scentprints” and their “rumoyas,” a kind of “cell spirit” unique. . . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post::
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
July 16, 2024
This is one of those books you have to piece together as you go. There is a murder mystery at the center and you're trying to figure it all out. I liked the world building and the characters. I did sometimes feel lost in the motivations of the characters and who I was supposed to be rooting for (which I think was intentional). I saw the big twist coming from pretty far away (at least 150 pages out). Overall this is a solid book but I do have some smaller nits to pick (pacing mostly). I saw so much growth for the author from their debut to this.
July 9, 2024
I love speculative fiction that makes you think, makes you a little uncomfortable, and sucks you down a wormhole into a whole weird world. This book by Mateo Askaripour is all of that.
Set in a far future where humanity has retreated into tightly controlled habitats, half of humanity is literally invisible. Feared and oppressed, this class of unseen people provide the labor for the privileged. Sweetmint, the main character, is invisible, but has won a coveted apprenticeship with one of the greatest hemisphere engineers, a position that promises to catapult her to into a place of comfort. But discontent is brewing, and Sweetmint's missing brother may be wrapped up in it. To save him, she will become entangled with conspiracies, cover ups, and a corrupt social order on the brink of change for better or worse.
THIS GREAT HEMISPHERE is a tense, urgent exploration of power in all its forms and how it corrupts. It's a story of America and subjugation and hope and all the things some may choose not to see. An allegory reminiscent of Colson Whitehead's INTUITIONIST and ZONE ONE, this one will keep your brain churning long after you've finished it.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy.
Set in a far future where humanity has retreated into tightly controlled habitats, half of humanity is literally invisible. Feared and oppressed, this class of unseen people provide the labor for the privileged. Sweetmint, the main character, is invisible, but has won a coveted apprenticeship with one of the greatest hemisphere engineers, a position that promises to catapult her to into a place of comfort. But discontent is brewing, and Sweetmint's missing brother may be wrapped up in it. To save him, she will become entangled with conspiracies, cover ups, and a corrupt social order on the brink of change for better or worse.
THIS GREAT HEMISPHERE is a tense, urgent exploration of power in all its forms and how it corrupts. It's a story of America and subjugation and hope and all the things some may choose not to see. An allegory reminiscent of Colson Whitehead's INTUITIONIST and ZONE ONE, this one will keep your brain churning long after you've finished it.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy.
July 31, 2024
If you like very basic racial allegories (what if a minority was ACTUALLY invisible???) wrapped up in a political plot that reeks of YA/Hunger Games, you'll enjoy this book a heck of a lot more than I did. It was a much, MUCH too long slog of basic ideas and boring characters I couldn't bring myself to care about. A book I was very relieved to put down.
July 9, 2024
This Great Hemisphere
By Mateo Askaripour
Thank you so much @duttonbooks #DuttonPartner for this gifted copy.
Blurb:
A speculative novel about a young woman—invisible by birth and relegated to second-class citizenship—who sets off on a mission to find her older brother, whom she had presumed dead but who is now the primary suspect in a high-profile political murder.
✨ My thoughts:
What a great read! I am a novice when it comes to Sci-fi and Speculative Fiction so when I find a novel a can easily follow, it’s extremely appreciated. This story hooked me from the beginning, mostly fast paced, and easy to follow. I found the invisibles to be fascinating and the world building to be fantastic! I’d say if you enjoy speculative fiction and sci-fi stories that’ll have you reflect on the world we live in now and the world it could look like in the future, this is one book you’ll want to pick up this summer. Compelling, thought provoking, mysterious and even adventurous… This Great Hemisphere is out tomorrow 7/9/24!
Happy reading 📖 ✨
By Mateo Askaripour
Thank you so much @duttonbooks #DuttonPartner for this gifted copy.
Blurb:
A speculative novel about a young woman—invisible by birth and relegated to second-class citizenship—who sets off on a mission to find her older brother, whom she had presumed dead but who is now the primary suspect in a high-profile political murder.
✨ My thoughts:
What a great read! I am a novice when it comes to Sci-fi and Speculative Fiction so when I find a novel a can easily follow, it’s extremely appreciated. This story hooked me from the beginning, mostly fast paced, and easy to follow. I found the invisibles to be fascinating and the world building to be fantastic! I’d say if you enjoy speculative fiction and sci-fi stories that’ll have you reflect on the world we live in now and the world it could look like in the future, this is one book you’ll want to pick up this summer. Compelling, thought provoking, mysterious and even adventurous… This Great Hemisphere is out tomorrow 7/9/24!
Happy reading 📖 ✨
April 21, 2024
4.5/5 stars - A stunning foray into the realm of speculative/dystopian fiction.
Set centuries into the future in the year 2529, "This Great Hemisphere" focuses on young Sweetmint, a young woman with the official name of Candace. She's an Invisible in Forest 26 of the Northwestern Hemisphere, just one of many dealing with the repercussions following an environmental and societal upheaval that has split the world into hemispheres, where individuals are either in the minority, lower-class population known as "vizzers" or are part of the the D.P. (Dominant Population), or "dippies". However, Sweetmint has been given the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to work with Croger Tenmase, a renowned inventor known as the Great Architect, and she eagerly accepts the internship. It's her first chance to enter the D.P. community, but one that gets threatened when a shocking event happens: Chief Executive Rhitel, the leader of the Northwestern Hemisphere, is murdered - and the lone suspect is her older brother who abandoned her three years ago.
In the events that follow, Sweetmint attempts to keep some semblance of normalcy despite the immediate suspicion she's placed under. The story jumps perspectives to a number of other individuals with key roles in the ensuing political tangle, including Local Manager II Stephan Jolis and Hemispheric Guard Director Curts, as they try to reassure their citizens that justice will be met. All the while, we find out more and more about what happened in the centuries in-between that have passed, the true identities of individuals, and what has truly unfolded over time.
This novel is such a jarring, thought-provoking work that handles the concepts of race and class in a way I've yet to encounter. Despite the complete transformation of the world, the new societal and political rules in place - it's clear that the concept of minority and majority populations, and those with versus those without continue to hold true over time, and there are strong criticisms on gender discrimination and politics as well. While the plot is driven forward by the events that follow the murder of the Chief Executive, it leaves room for the detailed world-building and we're able to learn more about each of the main characters in this novel; Sweetmint's character growth and development by the end of the story is impressively done.
I did struggle with the sheer number of characters and names that were part of the storyline however (especially tough as they frequently have more than one name) and the complexity of this future world, which not only had new rules and structures, but also new languages and terminology that took some time to understand. The first half or so of the novel was difficult to get through because of this, but once the plot picked up towards the second half it was difficult to put down.
Very much a recommended read when "This Great Hemisphere" is published in July!
Thank you Dutton Publishing for the advance copy of this novel!
Set centuries into the future in the year 2529, "This Great Hemisphere" focuses on young Sweetmint, a young woman with the official name of Candace. She's an Invisible in Forest 26 of the Northwestern Hemisphere, just one of many dealing with the repercussions following an environmental and societal upheaval that has split the world into hemispheres, where individuals are either in the minority, lower-class population known as "vizzers" or are part of the the D.P. (Dominant Population), or "dippies". However, Sweetmint has been given the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to work with Croger Tenmase, a renowned inventor known as the Great Architect, and she eagerly accepts the internship. It's her first chance to enter the D.P. community, but one that gets threatened when a shocking event happens: Chief Executive Rhitel, the leader of the Northwestern Hemisphere, is murdered - and the lone suspect is her older brother who abandoned her three years ago.
In the events that follow, Sweetmint attempts to keep some semblance of normalcy despite the immediate suspicion she's placed under. The story jumps perspectives to a number of other individuals with key roles in the ensuing political tangle, including Local Manager II Stephan Jolis and Hemispheric Guard Director Curts, as they try to reassure their citizens that justice will be met. All the while, we find out more and more about what happened in the centuries in-between that have passed, the true identities of individuals, and what has truly unfolded over time.
This novel is such a jarring, thought-provoking work that handles the concepts of race and class in a way I've yet to encounter. Despite the complete transformation of the world, the new societal and political rules in place - it's clear that the concept of minority and majority populations, and those with versus those without continue to hold true over time, and there are strong criticisms on gender discrimination and politics as well. While the plot is driven forward by the events that follow the murder of the Chief Executive, it leaves room for the detailed world-building and we're able to learn more about each of the main characters in this novel; Sweetmint's character growth and development by the end of the story is impressively done.
I did struggle with the sheer number of characters and names that were part of the storyline however (especially tough as they frequently have more than one name) and the complexity of this future world, which not only had new rules and structures, but also new languages and terminology that took some time to understand. The first half or so of the novel was difficult to get through because of this, but once the plot picked up towards the second half it was difficult to put down.
Very much a recommended read when "This Great Hemisphere" is published in July!
Thank you Dutton Publishing for the advance copy of this novel!
2024
October 6, 2025Black History Month TBR
📖 Thank you to Goodreads and Dutton
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton
📖 Thank you to Goodreads and Dutton
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton
January 10, 2024
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour was one of my favorite reads in the past few years. It was creative and inventive, like his new book The Great Hemisphere. Full disclosure: I do not gravitate towards books set far in the future, but I admire the work Mateo put into creating a world that was both different and yet similar to our world today. One of my favorite lines is, "The future forever echoes the past, growing distant from its source, but never without it." Race plays a pivotal role in the story that unfolds in the Hemisphere but takes on an exciting form that I did not see coming. This book is significantly different from anything I've read, which held my attention, but at times, the language, character names, and situations became distracting. Overall, this book will find an audience who can appreciate the book's inventive nature.
July 9, 2024
I really enjoyed Askaripour’s debut a few years ago so I was very eager to get my hands on this one - it is definitely quite a departure from Black Buck, set in a futuristic dystopian world where a breed of literally invisible people are integrated into society.
The synopsis leads you to believe there is a murder mystery aspect to the story, and while that is there it’s far from the focus of the story, so adjust expectations accordingly. It’s mostly about an invisible character Sweetmint, her apprenticeship, and the grappling with being literally invisible in this world and how they are treated as ‘less than’. It’s a stunningly written story although I admit I was confused at times as I’m not a big sci-fi reader in general, and felt like parts were overly long but it has a lot of interesting things to say and overall I would definitely recommend this one.
The synopsis leads you to believe there is a murder mystery aspect to the story, and while that is there it’s far from the focus of the story, so adjust expectations accordingly. It’s mostly about an invisible character Sweetmint, her apprenticeship, and the grappling with being literally invisible in this world and how they are treated as ‘less than’. It’s a stunningly written story although I admit I was confused at times as I’m not a big sci-fi reader in general, and felt like parts were overly long but it has a lot of interesting things to say and overall I would definitely recommend this one.
July 9, 2024
Read if you like:
• Dystopian novels with sci-fi elements
• Stories centered on political turmoil and classism
• Fully-developed plots
• Strong female MCs
• Books with lots of characters
• World building
I loved this author’s debut novel, Black Buck, so I was super interested to read this one. Although I didn’t love it as much as his first (which lives rent free in my mind), I thought it was a very interesting story! I enjoyed how detailed it was and even though it is a dystopian novel, it still had a lot of social commentary and parallels to political and social issues of today and the past.
• Dystopian novels with sci-fi elements
• Stories centered on political turmoil and classism
• Fully-developed plots
• Strong female MCs
• Books with lots of characters
• World building
I loved this author’s debut novel, Black Buck, so I was super interested to read this one. Although I didn’t love it as much as his first (which lives rent free in my mind), I thought it was a very interesting story! I enjoyed how detailed it was and even though it is a dystopian novel, it still had a lot of social commentary and parallels to political and social issues of today and the past.
August 23, 2024
I'm always a little suspicious of female characters written by men, and this lived down to my expectations. She's naked all the time? Men are always falling in love with her? The prostitutes are the bad guys and also they should be ashamed of their jobs? Besides all this, the plot was clunky, with multiple time skips that were jarring when combined with some intense world-building. There were more and more twists/betrayals, that just felt exhausting instead of thrilling. Gave up after 140 pages.
July 16, 2024
The author of Black Buck is back with some speculative fiction this time but with the same bite. In This Great Hemisphere, Askaripour builds us a whole new world set in the future. Our lead character, Sweetmint, is one of the invisibles. She is quite not only figuratively invisible to society, but quite literally. Invisibles are second class citizens to be neither seen nor heard, but are meant to serve whatever the first class citizens' needs are. When her brother, who has been missing and presumed dead for three years, becomes the suspect of a major political murder, Sweetmint must navigate the realities of being an Invisible while desperately working to figure out what happened to and with her her brother.
Sweetmint is a character you will be instantly hooked by. She does everything right, and yet the world built for us here, clearly formed by our current terrifying realities, is set on upending it all. As we watch Sweetmint use her love for her brother and her smarts to find him, we also are barreling towards a big election for this world. The tensions grow and Sweetmint fights back in every way.
I loved the world building here and the first 100 pages were my favorite. Askairpour lost me a bit as the world continued to build. We get a LOT but we don't get a lot of nuance. I needed that to fully love this book, but I still absolutely love what he is doing here and this exploration of power felt all too prescient.
Sweetmint is a character you will be instantly hooked by. She does everything right, and yet the world built for us here, clearly formed by our current terrifying realities, is set on upending it all. As we watch Sweetmint use her love for her brother and her smarts to find him, we also are barreling towards a big election for this world. The tensions grow and Sweetmint fights back in every way.
I loved the world building here and the first 100 pages were my favorite. Askairpour lost me a bit as the world continued to build. We get a LOT but we don't get a lot of nuance. I needed that to fully love this book, but I still absolutely love what he is doing here and this exploration of power felt all too prescient.
July 30, 2024
Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group/Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is a speculative novel where we follow Sweetmint, an invisible and second-class citizen who has done everything right in life. She has just obtained a prestigious apprenticeship with an important inventor, a non-invisible who belongs to the powerful ruling class. Yet, she is looking for her brother who disappeared years ago and has recently been accused of murdering a high profile politician. The accusation does not seem right to Sweetmint and she will use her new position to find out the truth. The world building was interesting but the story didn't really click with me until maybe the last third or fourth of the book when it comes together. Of course, things are never as they seem and the story was much more interesting at the end, including commentary on society and those relegated to a second class. Overall, it was a good read but I enjoyed the author's first book more.
September 15, 2024
Mateo Askaripor has some brain! Black Buck was such a cutting story that highlighted day to day racism in the most unique way. This Great Hemisphere is similar in tone but has a completely new take set in a future world where there is a race of people who are invisible and who are treated very much like Black Americans have throughout history. The story starts in present-ish time and the snippet we get there is heart stopping, it literally took my breath away. The horror is less viceral as we move into the far future as it is harder to visualize but the pain of humans marginalizing other humans is consistent. I loved the fantasy elements. The political and underlying racist themes are pretty consistent with the real world 2024. I'm not sure I 'got' the ending but I still enjoyed the crazy ride.
October 10, 2024
At around 60% in, it was lagging a little but as soon as 70% hit, I felt like I was dropped into an escape room.
October 27, 2024
Ambitious worldbuilding that combines a high-tech, post-apocalyptic future with a throwback to slavery and Jim Crow. I was immersed in the setting and wanted to know more about how this extreme inequality came about, a question that wasn't fully answered by the end. The characters were complex and well-drawn. Too many twists at the very end left me slightly confused, though.
Did not finish
February 27, 2025Made it 60% and DNF - The concept is super interesting but past halfway I still didn’t feel particularly invested in the characters or like much was actually happening as far as story.
July 17, 2024
this was definitely better than the author’s previous book, black buck, but tbh barely so.
for starters, the really ham fisted racial allegory with the invisibles & DPs, way too on the nose for me & not particularly saying anything new either. second, the beginning reads like someone’s first dystopian novel, lots of awkward setup & scene setting. third, i feel like the character of sweetmint really devolved over the course of the book (which makes sense considering what she was going through) but seeing how she’s supposed to be quiet smart or at the very least very tapped into rumonya’s, i don’t understand a number of decisions she made in the latter half of the book. seemed like the author was suffering a very serious case of tell not show as well.
i can’t disparage this too much, because despite some of its faults it did keep me intrigued & reading well into the night. which i really accredit to the mystery at the heart of the story, the world building, & the authors knack for writing compelling characters. so this was okay but i don’t think i’ll be reading any more of their books in the future, something about them feels very much baby’s first introduction to critical race theory. also i think the fact that this was compared to nk jemisin’s the fifth season on the book jacket is absolutely wild. maybe in the same way that a hot dog is considered by some to be a sandwich. final rating: 3.5
random aside: did anyone else notice what appears to be a error on page 384? “the trained pulled into gallery station…” either saying ‘trained’ instead of ‘trains’ is some quirk in Northwestern Hemisphere language that for whatever reason was never mentioned in the 300 pages before or this is an error that went unnoticed despite proofreading.
for starters, the really ham fisted racial allegory with the invisibles & DPs, way too on the nose for me & not particularly saying anything new either. second, the beginning reads like someone’s first dystopian novel, lots of awkward setup & scene setting. third, i feel like the character of sweetmint really devolved over the course of the book (which makes sense considering what she was going through) but seeing how she’s supposed to be quiet smart or at the very least very tapped into rumonya’s, i don’t understand a number of decisions she made in the latter half of the book. seemed like the author was suffering a very serious case of tell not show as well.
i can’t disparage this too much, because despite some of its faults it did keep me intrigued & reading well into the night. which i really accredit to the mystery at the heart of the story, the world building, & the authors knack for writing compelling characters. so this was okay but i don’t think i’ll be reading any more of their books in the future, something about them feels very much baby’s first introduction to critical race theory. also i think the fact that this was compared to nk jemisin’s the fifth season on the book jacket is absolutely wild. maybe in the same way that a hot dog is considered by some to be a sandwich. final rating: 3.5
random aside: did anyone else notice what appears to be a error on page 384? “the trained pulled into gallery station…” either saying ‘trained’ instead of ‘trains’ is some quirk in Northwestern Hemisphere language that for whatever reason was never mentioned in the 300 pages before or this is an error that went unnoticed despite proofreading.
March 1, 2024
Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this advanced readers copy. Black Buck was fantastic so when I heard this author had another book coming out, I knew I had to read it. This book is just as good. It took me a minute to understand the concept and world building setup but then it pulled me right in and I couldn’t put it down. There are invisibles and non-invisibles and invisibles are second class citizens. Invisibles must paint themselves to be seen. Sweet-mint is the main character and is searching for her brother. Herein lies her question as she searches for her brother through the book- is her brother dead? Alive? Good? Evil? I’m not going to tell you. It’s so good. You have to read it to find out. And now I need to read it a second time to see what clues I missed.
September 19, 2024
This is more 3.5 territory, but I'll round down for a couple reasons:
1. The dystopian world was SO OBVIOUS in its allegory. The oppressive regime uses the colors red, white, and black...idk who this should remind you of. Definitely not the the most well-known fascists of all time. Also, making Black people literally invisible was very on-the-nose. That part would have been more interesting if the book had delved into their sort of spirit-sense and explored how that came about/different ways that it helped them instead of just being something that got mentioned from time to time.
2. The ending was a hot mess. I enjoyed a lot of the murder mystery/thriller plot, even if it was all a bit convenient at times, but there were so many things crammed into the last 30/40 pages that I really didn't feel like we got time to absorb some of the information. This hurried nature to the plot, especially towards the end, also detracted from Sweetmint's character development. She had all these big things happening to her, but it always felt like we were rushing on to the next thing and never got to sit with what had happened.
Overall, it was a fast, entertaining read, but it fell flat on the allegory and was very obvious in its messaging, which made it harder for me to buy into the dystopia part. There were parts of this I enjoyed, but in a lot of cases, it might have been a less clumsy world overall if it had just been set in our present time or closer to it.
1. The dystopian world was SO OBVIOUS in its allegory. The oppressive regime uses the colors red, white, and black...idk who this should remind you of. Definitely not the the most well-known fascists of all time. Also, making Black people literally invisible was very on-the-nose. That part would have been more interesting if the book had delved into their sort of spirit-sense and explored how that came about/different ways that it helped them instead of just being something that got mentioned from time to time.
2. The ending was a hot mess. I enjoyed a lot of the murder mystery/thriller plot, even if it was all a bit convenient at times, but there were so many things crammed into the last 30/40 pages that I really didn't feel like we got time to absorb some of the information. This hurried nature to the plot, especially towards the end, also detracted from Sweetmint's character development. She had all these big things happening to her, but it always felt like we were rushing on to the next thing and never got to sit with what had happened.
Overall, it was a fast, entertaining read, but it fell flat on the allegory and was very obvious in its messaging, which made it harder for me to buy into the dystopia part. There were parts of this I enjoyed, but in a lot of cases, it might have been a less clumsy world overall if it had just been set in our present time or closer to it.
October 15, 2024
This novel was a bit slow going in the first few chapters, but it sure did pick up after that, I'm glad I stuck with it!
The world-building that the author did was a large task, and for the most part, it was done fairly well. But at the beginning of the novel it almost lost me as many of the terms that were presented were not given enough context to decipher what they meant and I felt a bit lost. As you got further along in the novel, many of those words did start to make sense so my advice would be to stick with it. So much of the novel makes sense the further you go along.
The story itself was dense and heavy. It was a story of rebellion and hope, but the subject matter dealt heavily with topics of racism, slavery, genocide, bigotry, hate, and violence, and at times it would make you angry reading how the DPs would treat the Invisibles. It reminded me of the Holocaust, concentration camps, and even how African Americans were treated in the US after slavery. Lots to unpack with this story in those terms and certainly made you think about how others have been treated in our past.
Looking at the story as a whole, it was quite good and I enjoyed the story of revolution and trying to find your place in the world.
The world-building that the author did was a large task, and for the most part, it was done fairly well. But at the beginning of the novel it almost lost me as many of the terms that were presented were not given enough context to decipher what they meant and I felt a bit lost. As you got further along in the novel, many of those words did start to make sense so my advice would be to stick with it. So much of the novel makes sense the further you go along.
The story itself was dense and heavy. It was a story of rebellion and hope, but the subject matter dealt heavily with topics of racism, slavery, genocide, bigotry, hate, and violence, and at times it would make you angry reading how the DPs would treat the Invisibles. It reminded me of the Holocaust, concentration camps, and even how African Americans were treated in the US after slavery. Lots to unpack with this story in those terms and certainly made you think about how others have been treated in our past.
Looking at the story as a whole, it was quite good and I enjoyed the story of revolution and trying to find your place in the world.
July 14, 2024
3.5 because I can’t decide between a three and a four. I am not a huge speculative fiction fan, so I would not have picked this up if it were not for how much I love the author’s previous book.
I’d characterize this as a demanding book. The complicated detail and intricacy require some patience. But what a world Askaripour created! So clever and lively. And his trademark sharp satire is present in the parallels between his future dystopian society and our nearly-dystopian present day.
I read the book quickly because the story drew me in. But I had moments of confusion and think there may have been a little too much going on.
I’d characterize this as a demanding book. The complicated detail and intricacy require some patience. But what a world Askaripour created! So clever and lively. And his trademark sharp satire is present in the parallels between his future dystopian society and our nearly-dystopian present day.
I read the book quickly because the story drew me in. But I had moments of confusion and think there may have been a little too much going on.
Did not finish
November 20, 2024Hunger Games meets the Invisible Man meets Margaret Atwood, unapologetically political as a good allegory should be.. No fault on this book, but I'm DNFing at page 114. The writing is subtle and hard to look away from during the prologue, but becomes blunt with surprisingly abrupt violence and simplistic dialogue later on. I think the allegory is a bit too much for me to stay present with at this particular moment in history; I want to disappear into something comforting right now. Askaripour is one to return to, and this book deserves better than being treated like a slog.
September 14, 2024
DNF. Auf einmal kommen einzelne Kinder unsichtbar auf die Welt. Zeitsprung auf 500 Jahre später und der unsichtbare Teil der Bevölkerung wird beschrieben, als handle es sich um eine unterdrückte schwarz-amerikanische Bevölkerung in den USA. Vielleicht wäre das noch erklärt worden, aber der Teil hat schon keinen Sinn für mich gemacht und sonst haben mich weder Geschichte noch Personen interessiert - nach ca. 25% abgebrochen.
May 10, 2025
If you’ve started with Black Buck, forget everything you know about it, This Great Hemisphere is quite the opposite. Not in terms of themes —racism remains at the heart of Askaripour’s writing— but in genre. This Great Hemisphere is a powerful dystopian novel, unfortunately, one that feels all too possible.
What if minorities became translucent? It’s a simple metaphor, but the world Askaripour builds around it is complex and addictive. This Great Hemisphere is an intricate story of politics and societal injustice that keeps you turning the pages without realizing how much time has passed.
This book would make an excellent movie adaptation; Askaripour’s prose is vivid and cinematic, and I’m absolutely sure it would resonate with a wide audience.
The only downside for me was the ending, it felt a bit too brief compared to the depth of the rest of the novel. But aside from that, I truly appreciated the read!
What if minorities became translucent? It’s a simple metaphor, but the world Askaripour builds around it is complex and addictive. This Great Hemisphere is an intricate story of politics and societal injustice that keeps you turning the pages without realizing how much time has passed.
This book would make an excellent movie adaptation; Askaripour’s prose is vivid and cinematic, and I’m absolutely sure it would resonate with a wide audience.
The only downside for me was the ending, it felt a bit too brief compared to the depth of the rest of the novel. But aside from that, I truly appreciated the read!
Read
August 8, 2024unfortunately this is a DNF
proud of myself for not continuing it because i wasn’t into it
because i didn’t finish, i don’t feel right giving a rating.
not sure if i wasn’t feeling it because i was listening to it so
maybe ill read it later in the year
proud of myself for not continuing it because i wasn’t into it
because i didn’t finish, i don’t feel right giving a rating.
not sure if i wasn’t feeling it because i was listening to it so
maybe ill read it later in the year
Read
September 10, 2024Genre: Science Fiction
*In 2029, the world is divided into four hemispheres with massive, overreaching governments.
*Born invisible, and a second-class citizen, Sweetmint is determined to find her older brother - who is the primary suspect in a high profile political murder.
*In 2029, the world is divided into four hemispheres with massive, overreaching governments.
*Born invisible, and a second-class citizen, Sweetmint is determined to find her older brother - who is the primary suspect in a high profile political murder.
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