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This is Our Undoing
Double British Fantasy Award finalist, Kavya Prize finalist and winner of the SCKA reviewer award for Best Newcomer.
Could you condemn one child to save another?
In a near-future Europe fracturing under climate change and far-right politics, biologist Lina Stephenson works in the remote Rila Mountains, safely away from London State.
When an old enemy dies, Lina’s dangerous past resurfaces, putting her family’s lives at risk. Trapped with her vulnerable sister alongside the dead man’s family, Lina is facing pressure from all sides: her enemy’s eldest son is determined to destroy her in his search for vengeance, whilst his youngest carries a sinister secret...
But the forest is hiding its own threats and as a catastrophic storm closes in, Lina realises that to save her family she too must become a monster.
Could you condemn one child to save another?
In a near-future Europe fracturing under climate change and far-right politics, biologist Lina Stephenson works in the remote Rila Mountains, safely away from London State.
When an old enemy dies, Lina’s dangerous past resurfaces, putting her family’s lives at risk. Trapped with her vulnerable sister alongside the dead man’s family, Lina is facing pressure from all sides: her enemy’s eldest son is determined to destroy her in his search for vengeance, whilst his youngest carries a sinister secret...
But the forest is hiding its own threats and as a catastrophic storm closes in, Lina realises that to save her family she too must become a monster.
300 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2021
204 people want to read
About the author
Lorraine Wilson
9 books50 followersWriter, biologist, photographer, herder of cats, drinker of tea. she/her.
A conservation scientist and third culture Scot, I live by the sea writing stories influenced by folklore and the wilderness. My books have won two SCKA awards and been finalists for British Fantasy Awards, the Kavya Prize and the Saltire Book Award, and longlisted for the British Science Fiction Awards. I have also won a British Fantasy Award for short fiction.
I have been stalked by wolves and befriended pythons, run the Rewriting The Margins mentorship scheme for marginalised writers, and can be found at https://linktr.ee/raine_clouds.
IG: @raine_clouds_writes
A conservation scientist and third culture Scot, I live by the sea writing stories influenced by folklore and the wilderness. My books have won two SCKA awards and been finalists for British Fantasy Awards, the Kavya Prize and the Saltire Book Award, and longlisted for the British Science Fiction Awards. I have also won a British Fantasy Award for short fiction.
I have been stalked by wolves and befriended pythons, run the Rewriting The Margins mentorship scheme for marginalised writers, and can be found at https://linktr.ee/raine_clouds.
IG: @raine_clouds_writes
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 27, 2021
ARC provided by Luna Press in exchange for an honest review
Lorraine Wilson will be appearing as a guest on my podcast Dissecting Dragons and the episode will be airing on 6th August 2021.
This is Our Undoing is one of those books which sits across several genres but instead of being a clear mash-up, is completely its own thing. There's a broad dystopian framework, a dash of magical realism, a hint of dark fantasy, an interwoven ghost story and a murder mystery. All things which should probably not go together, just as you wouldn't put curry and ice cream and salad and balsamic vinegar in a single dish. Don't let that description put you off, however; Lorraine Wilson is one of those vanishingly rare word-chefs who can take the foragings from around the edges of other genres and not only produce the literary equivalent of a gourmet meal, but make you wonder why you haven't been eating this dish all your life. I'm in danger of abusing the metaphor now so I'll step away and talk about the book.
Despite the slightly forbidding sounding title, this was ultimately a very uplifting book. Yes, I know anyone who follows my reviews will be quick to point out my penchant for darkness in fiction, but I stand by my original statement. Set in a near future with some very dystopian elements - totalitarian regimes in which information is carefully controlled and people can vanish in the night, for instance - This is Our Undoing grapples with many important issues at the heart of what it means to be human; divided loyalties, the need to act and the restraint not to do so, politics and policies being fundamentally wrong on a moral level, the desire for personal significance and the freedom to be self directing. One of the major themes is what to do - what can possibly be done - about the overwhelming sense of helplessness and powerlessness many of us feel in the face of a changing world. This is a special kind of torment, most often suffered by those who naturally question everything and are not satisfied by the party line.
Another important theme is that of family; what it takes to make one and how fragile that can be. There are children in this book and they each represent something a little different - those who have been failed by the powers that be or completely erased, those who are struggling to make sense of a world where fairness is not inherent and loss is a given, and those who are consumed with fury for those who came before and messed it all up in the first place. More subtly, there are adults who can see the children they once were in the young people before them, and are helpless to offer them the answers which they themselves have never managed to discover.
Not so much a theme but an important component in the books make-up is the exploration of anger and the actions it leads us to take, the things it can lead us to say. It's never praised nor condemned, but it is certainly understood. As someone who personally feels that a wronged person's justified anger is both an individual right and a luxury that should not be indulged in if our goal is to create a better society, this resonated strongly with me. Anger can be a useful tool if directed carefully or a firehose full of napalm if not.
The main thrust of the plot follows Lina, a biologist at a field research station in the wilds of Bulgaria. Lina's past is about to catch up with her, forcing her to use contacts she hasn't needed for years in order to get her family safely out of London. Of course nothing is that simple and the very cause of that upheaval is soon foisted on her and her partner Thiago, turning their quiet retreat into a pressure cooker full of secrets, lies and danger. I have no wish to spoilify anyone so I won't explain further. Suffice to say that Wilson writes like a miniaturist paints. You cannot see individual brushstrokes but every stroke is important and contributes to building up a picture you cannot tear your eyes from. In the background, the forest is a dark presence, neither malign nor benign but simply there. In that respect the landscape reminded me a little of some of Studio Ghibli's offerings (Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa) - not because of any similarity of description but because there was a definite sense of genius loci to the forest. I believed Iva's warnings about spirits and uncanny creatures!
In many ways this is a slow burn novel. Around eighty percent of the story is driven by tension and quiet suspense, by Lina's internal wranglings, rather than by action pieces. In fact up until the climactic event towards the end, any action is fairly muted. And this doesn't matter at all. I can honestly say I've never been so stressed reading a book that didn't have explosions and pyrotechnics of some kind. I appreciate a book driven by internal rather than external factors but I don't think I've ever lost sleep over one before! Rest assured that the slow build up is absolutely paid off in a very satisfying manner.
I imagine that for many people who tune into the many layers of meaning in this book, that it won't be an entirely comfortable read. Which is the point. This is not a story of good versus evil, this is a story of humans versus other humans, trying their best and making a mess of things. And then, as in all the best human stories, finding that more unites us than divides us. That things such as love, forgiveness and the ability to learn from suffering and loss are what magnifies the human spirit into something greater than the sum of its parts. This is a book about impossible choices and in the end, accepting that no matter how powerless you are, you always have power over your own actions. I can already tell this story is going to play on my mind for a long time. Excellent book. Highly recommend.
Lorraine Wilson will be appearing as a guest on my podcast Dissecting Dragons and the episode will be airing on 6th August 2021.
This is Our Undoing is one of those books which sits across several genres but instead of being a clear mash-up, is completely its own thing. There's a broad dystopian framework, a dash of magical realism, a hint of dark fantasy, an interwoven ghost story and a murder mystery. All things which should probably not go together, just as you wouldn't put curry and ice cream and salad and balsamic vinegar in a single dish. Don't let that description put you off, however; Lorraine Wilson is one of those vanishingly rare word-chefs who can take the foragings from around the edges of other genres and not only produce the literary equivalent of a gourmet meal, but make you wonder why you haven't been eating this dish all your life. I'm in danger of abusing the metaphor now so I'll step away and talk about the book.
Despite the slightly forbidding sounding title, this was ultimately a very uplifting book. Yes, I know anyone who follows my reviews will be quick to point out my penchant for darkness in fiction, but I stand by my original statement. Set in a near future with some very dystopian elements - totalitarian regimes in which information is carefully controlled and people can vanish in the night, for instance - This is Our Undoing grapples with many important issues at the heart of what it means to be human; divided loyalties, the need to act and the restraint not to do so, politics and policies being fundamentally wrong on a moral level, the desire for personal significance and the freedom to be self directing. One of the major themes is what to do - what can possibly be done - about the overwhelming sense of helplessness and powerlessness many of us feel in the face of a changing world. This is a special kind of torment, most often suffered by those who naturally question everything and are not satisfied by the party line.
Another important theme is that of family; what it takes to make one and how fragile that can be. There are children in this book and they each represent something a little different - those who have been failed by the powers that be or completely erased, those who are struggling to make sense of a world where fairness is not inherent and loss is a given, and those who are consumed with fury for those who came before and messed it all up in the first place. More subtly, there are adults who can see the children they once were in the young people before them, and are helpless to offer them the answers which they themselves have never managed to discover.
Not so much a theme but an important component in the books make-up is the exploration of anger and the actions it leads us to take, the things it can lead us to say. It's never praised nor condemned, but it is certainly understood. As someone who personally feels that a wronged person's justified anger is both an individual right and a luxury that should not be indulged in if our goal is to create a better society, this resonated strongly with me. Anger can be a useful tool if directed carefully or a firehose full of napalm if not.
The main thrust of the plot follows Lina, a biologist at a field research station in the wilds of Bulgaria. Lina's past is about to catch up with her, forcing her to use contacts she hasn't needed for years in order to get her family safely out of London. Of course nothing is that simple and the very cause of that upheaval is soon foisted on her and her partner Thiago, turning their quiet retreat into a pressure cooker full of secrets, lies and danger. I have no wish to spoilify anyone so I won't explain further. Suffice to say that Wilson writes like a miniaturist paints. You cannot see individual brushstrokes but every stroke is important and contributes to building up a picture you cannot tear your eyes from. In the background, the forest is a dark presence, neither malign nor benign but simply there. In that respect the landscape reminded me a little of some of Studio Ghibli's offerings (Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa) - not because of any similarity of description but because there was a definite sense of genius loci to the forest. I believed Iva's warnings about spirits and uncanny creatures!
In many ways this is a slow burn novel. Around eighty percent of the story is driven by tension and quiet suspense, by Lina's internal wranglings, rather than by action pieces. In fact up until the climactic event towards the end, any action is fairly muted. And this doesn't matter at all. I can honestly say I've never been so stressed reading a book that didn't have explosions and pyrotechnics of some kind. I appreciate a book driven by internal rather than external factors but I don't think I've ever lost sleep over one before! Rest assured that the slow build up is absolutely paid off in a very satisfying manner.
I imagine that for many people who tune into the many layers of meaning in this book, that it won't be an entirely comfortable read. Which is the point. This is not a story of good versus evil, this is a story of humans versus other humans, trying their best and making a mess of things. And then, as in all the best human stories, finding that more unites us than divides us. That things such as love, forgiveness and the ability to learn from suffering and loss are what magnifies the human spirit into something greater than the sum of its parts. This is a book about impossible choices and in the end, accepting that no matter how powerless you are, you always have power over your own actions. I can already tell this story is going to play on my mind for a long time. Excellent book. Highly recommend.
August 2, 2021
An excellent read, a real mix of magic, horror and a twist of romance!
The storyline is well planned and the characters are engaging love the moral dilemmas that appear
A clever read.
The storyline is well planned and the characters are engaging love the moral dilemmas that appear
A clever read.
August 31, 2021
I received an ARC copy of This is Out Undoing in exchange for an honest review. You can read my full review at https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/
This is Our Undoing, opens with a standoff between a conservationist looking for what has killed a protected species, and local villagers who want to harvest the carcass. This standoff between Lina, our protagonist, and the native Bulgarians whose land and animals she studies, in many ways epitomizes the many conflicts in Wilson’s debut novel. A lone scientist with the backing of an international organization but little real power of her own, and a group of people who distrust outsiders with good reason and fight for their independence in the only ways they know.
Across the novel the sweeping geopolitics of Wilson’s world are funneled into just a few individuals caught in the maelstrom that is the volatile near-future her characters inhabit. This is a world in which many western nations have become some version of a police state, global warming has irrevocably reshaped the landscape and the climate, and violent tribalism has become the order of the day.
Wilson’s novel is, at its core, a story about people and their choices. People good, bad, and otherwise caught up in events far greater than themselves. Choices from the past that come back to haunt the present, choices in the present that can ripple out to create the future. Through each step of the novel, her characters make, re-evaluate, and cope with their own choices and the choices of others, leading inexorably to a climax that is at once cataclysmic, and incredibly intimate.
Brilliant in concept and haunting in execution, This is Our Undoing is a fantastic first outing from an author whose work I, for one, cannot wait to see more of.
This is Our Undoing, opens with a standoff between a conservationist looking for what has killed a protected species, and local villagers who want to harvest the carcass. This standoff between Lina, our protagonist, and the native Bulgarians whose land and animals she studies, in many ways epitomizes the many conflicts in Wilson’s debut novel. A lone scientist with the backing of an international organization but little real power of her own, and a group of people who distrust outsiders with good reason and fight for their independence in the only ways they know.
Across the novel the sweeping geopolitics of Wilson’s world are funneled into just a few individuals caught in the maelstrom that is the volatile near-future her characters inhabit. This is a world in which many western nations have become some version of a police state, global warming has irrevocably reshaped the landscape and the climate, and violent tribalism has become the order of the day.
Wilson’s novel is, at its core, a story about people and their choices. People good, bad, and otherwise caught up in events far greater than themselves. Choices from the past that come back to haunt the present, choices in the present that can ripple out to create the future. Through each step of the novel, her characters make, re-evaluate, and cope with their own choices and the choices of others, leading inexorably to a climax that is at once cataclysmic, and incredibly intimate.
Brilliant in concept and haunting in execution, This is Our Undoing is a fantastic first outing from an author whose work I, for one, cannot wait to see more of.
August 23, 2021
It takes time to emerge, blinking and disorientated, from a book as powerfully other-worldly as this. It delivers a density of sensation, of emotion, within which is a not-quite claustrophobic, heart-in-mouth tale of twisting relationships and much tension.
I won't say I understood all that was going on, not on this first read, but that is fine; I trust the writer to lead me where she will; leave me to work out what is going on, and intrigued enough to re-read for further enlightenment.
In addition, for me, this was a master-class in writing.
I won't say I understood all that was going on, not on this first read, but that is fine; I trust the writer to lead me where she will; leave me to work out what is going on, and intrigued enough to re-read for further enlightenment.
In addition, for me, this was a master-class in writing.
August 4, 2021
Stunning writing.
Wilson's manages to transport you into a dystopian world that feels dangerously close to reality.
The forest setting is beautifully described, and the author's background as a conservation biologist is really felt here - everything and every animal feels written with confident knowledge, but it's never over the top.
This is a story (a mystery!) about relationships and consequences and the characters are the strongest point for me. Imagine placing a handful of people, of different ages, gender and culture in the middle of a forest, torn by political division: your characters need to stand out. This is something that Wilson does very well.
And as for the story itself, it grows in intensity. You have enough info to understand the type of world Lina (the main character) lives in, with refugees, political upheavals and rebellious factions - this is not the point of the story per se, so Wilson gives you enough to know where you are, before you plunge into the mystery and the thriller side of the story. Again, all of this creates a beautiful setting for her character development.
It was a grand read.
I am really looking forward to see what she writes next.
Wilson's manages to transport you into a dystopian world that feels dangerously close to reality.
The forest setting is beautifully described, and the author's background as a conservation biologist is really felt here - everything and every animal feels written with confident knowledge, but it's never over the top.
This is a story (a mystery!) about relationships and consequences and the characters are the strongest point for me. Imagine placing a handful of people, of different ages, gender and culture in the middle of a forest, torn by political division: your characters need to stand out. This is something that Wilson does very well.
And as for the story itself, it grows in intensity. You have enough info to understand the type of world Lina (the main character) lives in, with refugees, political upheavals and rebellious factions - this is not the point of the story per se, so Wilson gives you enough to know where you are, before you plunge into the mystery and the thriller side of the story. Again, all of this creates a beautiful setting for her character development.
It was a grand read.
I am really looking forward to see what she writes next.
December 18, 2021
Closer to a thriller than science fiction, and also closer to the present than is truly comfortable, This Is Our Undoing posits Europe ravaged by climate change and far-right authoritarian regimes but confines itself claustrophobically to one valley in Bulgaria where biologist Lina Stephenson works in exile from London State. Her peace is disturbed by the arrival of a mother and sons displaced by the killing of the woman's husband, a high-ranking minister in London State, and Lina has close ties to those being hunted in the wake of the minister's death. Suddenly the valley is not big enough for them all...
Found families and blood ties are examined and put under pressure throughout, and if the identity of the murderer is easy enough to guess, the truth about the family's youngest boy is less so. It's an uneasy but very tightly focused tale and well worth your time.
Found families and blood ties are examined and put under pressure throughout, and if the identity of the murderer is easy enough to guess, the truth about the family's youngest boy is less so. It's an uneasy but very tightly focused tale and well worth your time.
August 3, 2021
I was really intrigued by the premise of the book and was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of the actual book. It was a myriad of genres. It was set in a dystopian world. But it had a bit of magic realism in it , horror, thriller and romance as well. The book however was a bit slow. At some parts, the narration felt a bit draggy and repetitive. That was the only flaw in the book.
The actual plot was very unique and fun to read. Lina was a biologist working for an organisation in the forest. They were tagging all the creatures of the forest and Lina and her colleague Thiago were in charge. But the locals did not take kindly to all of the changes. There was a bit of turf war going on. Everything starts unraveling when certain aspects of her past caught up to her.
She desperately tried to get her father and sister to safety. But stacks are set against. To make matters worse, few people came to the forest fun London who were linked to her past. So a series of events occur. Do her father and sister survive? Or is her past her undoing? Read to find out!
Overall, it was a decent read.
Read
September 23, 2023Rtc
July 14, 2021
Lina Stephenson works as a scientist in the Rila Mountain area of Bulgaria. She thought, she had left her old life and dangers behind and guards her secret carefully. When a high profile politician in her former home, London, is murdered, his family is sent to Linda’s research station, posing a risk not just to Lina, but to her father and brother, too. She races against the clock to save her family and herself!
This story begins somewhere in the middle. The reader is thrust into the action without too much of a background or history. This adds to the overall haunting and mysterious feeling of the book. The author transports the reader to the mountains, the forest and village come to life. The characters all have something to hide, something the reader wants to find out and solve.
I kept reading, thinking the author would provide me with ready made, easy to digest answers to my many questions. As the story progressed, I was left with hints and clues but ultimately had to work out for myself, what I felt for the characters. Lorraine Wilson creates a cast of complex, often mysterious characters. Not one is predictable or simply good or bad.
This book does not neatly fit into any one genre, part dystopian (albeit only hinted at), part murder mystery, mixed in with some paranormal and psychological thriller elements. I found myself with more questions than answers, but strangely that is a good thing in this instance! I would love to read a prequel, where the background of Lina‘s life is explained in more detail.
My thanks go to TBC and Lorraine Wilson for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This story begins somewhere in the middle. The reader is thrust into the action without too much of a background or history. This adds to the overall haunting and mysterious feeling of the book. The author transports the reader to the mountains, the forest and village come to life. The characters all have something to hide, something the reader wants to find out and solve.
I kept reading, thinking the author would provide me with ready made, easy to digest answers to my many questions. As the story progressed, I was left with hints and clues but ultimately had to work out for myself, what I felt for the characters. Lorraine Wilson creates a cast of complex, often mysterious characters. Not one is predictable or simply good or bad.
This book does not neatly fit into any one genre, part dystopian (albeit only hinted at), part murder mystery, mixed in with some paranormal and psychological thriller elements. I found myself with more questions than answers, but strangely that is a good thing in this instance! I would love to read a prequel, where the background of Lina‘s life is explained in more detail.
My thanks go to TBC and Lorraine Wilson for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 26, 2021
My Review: I definitely went on a little book adventure with this book! It is so beautifully written. I was able to visualize this story so easily. I did find some of it a bit confusing but overall I really enjoyed this book. I would love to know more about Lina.
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars from me!
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars from me!
September 6, 2021
This is an extraordinary book. Wilson’s writing is lyrical and powerful, utterly immersive - almost disorientingly so. Her landscapes are character and rich with subtext and the atmosphere is palpable. As well as this her characters are well rounded and believable with not a false note among them. Her background as biologist brings authenticity and fascinating detail to the story. It’s a beautiful, disturbing, thought provoking read that ticks so many boxes, including genre - it’s hard to categorize, straddling thriller, clifi, speculative fiction, literary fiction, and utterly unique. I found it unputdownable - it’s wonderful.
December 14, 2021
'This is Our Undoing' is set in an all too conceivable, dystopian, very near future where power rests in a few huge and powerful organisations including the right wing 'State' (who now exert bloody, totalitarian control over London, having deported anybody not of British extraction by several generations), the Environmental Secuity Force (ESF) who wield immense power over what remains of the earth's ecology in a world where whole countries are ravaged by climate change, and the mysterious Peacekeepers.
Lina did what she could to protect her father and young adopted brother from the repercussions of her love-fuelled activist past by leaving London and signing up with ESF. She works, they protect her. She is safe but are her family?
In the forests of Bulgaria she helps track and monitor the tagged wildlife and tries to negotiate difficult relationships with the locals in villages where every household seems to have lost family members who were either killed or starved by State's actions.
Now a top State Official in London is dead. Murder is suspected and activists are being rounded up...including Lina's past love. Suddenly Lina needs to get her remaining family to safety at her station...only to discover that the widow of the dead official is to be a guest at the same station with her children. Now Lina needs to prevent them all discovering who she really is or her father and brother's flight across Europe will have been for nothing in a world where even the killing of children raises barely a protest.
Meanwhile, on the horizon a super-storm is brewing...which could easily take all their lives.
This book was too close for comfort because the majority of it was all too imaginable. There was a palpable tension between the idyllic forest life and the secrets under the surface.
Sci-Fi purists may get a little grumpy in the last quarter...even I raised an eyebrow...and there was a tad too much introspection and repetition but Wilson has woven a captivating and immersive tale which will give all readers food for thought. There but for the grace etc.
Lina did what she could to protect her father and young adopted brother from the repercussions of her love-fuelled activist past by leaving London and signing up with ESF. She works, they protect her. She is safe but are her family?
In the forests of Bulgaria she helps track and monitor the tagged wildlife and tries to negotiate difficult relationships with the locals in villages where every household seems to have lost family members who were either killed or starved by State's actions.
Now a top State Official in London is dead. Murder is suspected and activists are being rounded up...including Lina's past love. Suddenly Lina needs to get her remaining family to safety at her station...only to discover that the widow of the dead official is to be a guest at the same station with her children. Now Lina needs to prevent them all discovering who she really is or her father and brother's flight across Europe will have been for nothing in a world where even the killing of children raises barely a protest.
Meanwhile, on the horizon a super-storm is brewing...which could easily take all their lives.
This book was too close for comfort because the majority of it was all too imaginable. There was a palpable tension between the idyllic forest life and the secrets under the surface.
Sci-Fi purists may get a little grumpy in the last quarter...even I raised an eyebrow...and there was a tad too much introspection and repetition but Wilson has woven a captivating and immersive tale which will give all readers food for thought. There but for the grace etc.
November 11, 2021
I read this book a few weeks ago and loved it - couldn't put it down. However life got in the way of writing the review it deserves and, actually, I'm quite glad because I now know that it's one of those books that stays with you, with haunting moments springing back into my mind from time to time. It's set in a dystopian world but in a very lovely and natural part of it, whose beauty makes what the reader knows lies outside it all the more threatening. It's part thriller, part mystery and part story of people facing loss and working out what they can and can't afford to lose. Wilson's writing is evocative and exquisite but always with the clarity that is the hallmark of lovely prose. Strongly recommended.
September 29, 2021
An excellent piece of storytelling filled with tension, great world building and characters you constantly fear for. Throw in the added gorgeous prose and sense of place one of my reads of the year
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
September 3, 2021
Slightly strange to begin with and somewhat confusing to get into, this book suddenly garbs hold of you and doesn’t let you go. I loved it. I starting suspecting workings of ‘other forces’ about halfway through the book, but the author did not give anything away easily. I am still left guessing about characters’ pasts and I like it, it gives a feeling of another book coming, whilst this story has been closed off.
Lina has secret, so does Thiago. They work for ESF, hidden amongst the mountains of Romania in a world far apart from ours, where fear drives everyone’s lives. Lina tries desperately to save her remaining family, whilst dealing with State visitors hiding from their own secrets. Suspicions rise on all sides alongside a rising unrest from the local villagers. Lina is torn between the children in middle of it all and has to face some hard decision that will shape the future for her, her father and sister and pretty much everyone around her.
Fab characters, the story flowed really well, was intriguing all the way through to the last page.
Lina has secret, so does Thiago. They work for ESF, hidden amongst the mountains of Romania in a world far apart from ours, where fear drives everyone’s lives. Lina tries desperately to save her remaining family, whilst dealing with State visitors hiding from their own secrets. Suspicions rise on all sides alongside a rising unrest from the local villagers. Lina is torn between the children in middle of it all and has to face some hard decision that will shape the future for her, her father and sister and pretty much everyone around her.
Fab characters, the story flowed really well, was intriguing all the way through to the last page.
October 18, 2022
beautiful and haunting
A beautiful and haunting story of the secrets that shape us and the sacrifices we make, what it means to be free and what it means to be monstrous.
A beautiful and haunting story of the secrets that shape us and the sacrifices we make, what it means to be free and what it means to be monstrous.
August 2, 2021
This is Our Undoing is a compelling read, the story is original, a dystopian novel scarily close to our future. The author has a talent of creating suspenseful, eerie and atmospheric scenes. The writing in each scene has you there in the momen in that isolated house. The characters are complex and raw. Lina the main protagisnt is a complicated character and is trying to everything for her family. At time I felt the pain and suffering she felt, particularly in her love for Jame. The story has a lot going on. Each chapter slowly pushes a piece of story into place. I really was guessing at every turn, , the book straddles several genres dystopian, thriller and a hint of supernatural.
August 2, 2021
A complex story, it's full of questions about reality, morality and trust. If you like things clearly spelled out, this is not for you. The cast of characters are all too human and they each have secrets. If those secrets get out to the wrong people, the consequences will be deadly.
August 8, 2021
This is a thriller set in the near future, full of psychological themes and based on resistance to totalitarian regimes. So, possibly unlike anything else you have read. (Excepting 1984.)
This novel is carefully written with some really beautiful sections, particularly where Lorraine Wilson describes Lina's work as a field biologist living in a carefully preserved wilderness in Bulgaria. Her enjoyment of freedom, the beauty of nature, wildlife, scenery and the weather seems idyllic. It's a stark contrast to what we hear about the various States where the wealth gap is huge, and where poverty, violence, hunger and death threaten many. We don't actually visit these places affected by climate change but find out about the problems from the knowledge and memories of Lina and other characters. As a keen fan of science fiction I would have liked to have found a little more worldbuilding, some history of how the world changed in terms of climate, economics, technology and politics from the one we are familiar with.
There is a strangely claustrophobic feel to the story because we never leave the nature reserve and everything we know about the world comes from Lina. A small group of disparate people descend upon the station as the result of a murder in London. These are very varied and interesting people and I felt I got to know them fairly well though they all seem to hide secrets and problematic pasts. In a sense the scenario is similar to the familiar country house weekend murder where a reader would expect to find untrustworthy motives, murky histories, unreliable witnesses, sudden violence, coincidences and plenty of secrets. But, believe me, it's better than that!
Some of the writing is excellent and I was so taken by an atmospheric account of a character emerging from unconsciousness that I went back and reread it.
This novel is carefully written with some really beautiful sections, particularly where Lorraine Wilson describes Lina's work as a field biologist living in a carefully preserved wilderness in Bulgaria. Her enjoyment of freedom, the beauty of nature, wildlife, scenery and the weather seems idyllic. It's a stark contrast to what we hear about the various States where the wealth gap is huge, and where poverty, violence, hunger and death threaten many. We don't actually visit these places affected by climate change but find out about the problems from the knowledge and memories of Lina and other characters. As a keen fan of science fiction I would have liked to have found a little more worldbuilding, some history of how the world changed in terms of climate, economics, technology and politics from the one we are familiar with.
There is a strangely claustrophobic feel to the story because we never leave the nature reserve and everything we know about the world comes from Lina. A small group of disparate people descend upon the station as the result of a murder in London. These are very varied and interesting people and I felt I got to know them fairly well though they all seem to hide secrets and problematic pasts. In a sense the scenario is similar to the familiar country house weekend murder where a reader would expect to find untrustworthy motives, murky histories, unreliable witnesses, sudden violence, coincidences and plenty of secrets. But, believe me, it's better than that!
Some of the writing is excellent and I was so taken by an atmospheric account of a character emerging from unconsciousness that I went back and reread it.
September 21, 2022
[Read this a while ago, but only posting review now for Reasons]
I did NOT expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I avoid climate apocalypse fascist dystopias as much as I can, given that there's plenty of that developing outside the pages of my books, and the moody introspection that characterizes the whole text is usually something I have little patience with. Much of the action, such as it is, involves walking in the woods and talking to people or sitting in a lab looking at GPS blips and making Deep Moral Decisions, interrupted by periods of Waiting and Worrying. And yet, somehow, I was utterly engrossed. Part of it might be because I've spent all summer doing a huge amount of Waiting and Worrying, so I could deeply empathize with our main character's state of mind, but I think my enjoyment was less about my own circumstances and much more about Wilson's skill as a writer. Definitely a well-deserved BFA nomination there.
I did NOT expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I avoid climate apocalypse fascist dystopias as much as I can, given that there's plenty of that developing outside the pages of my books, and the moody introspection that characterizes the whole text is usually something I have little patience with. Much of the action, such as it is, involves walking in the woods and talking to people or sitting in a lab looking at GPS blips and making Deep Moral Decisions, interrupted by periods of Waiting and Worrying. And yet, somehow, I was utterly engrossed. Part of it might be because I've spent all summer doing a huge amount of Waiting and Worrying, so I could deeply empathize with our main character's state of mind, but I think my enjoyment was less about my own circumstances and much more about Wilson's skill as a writer. Definitely a well-deserved BFA nomination there.
November 23, 2021
This is our Undoing is speculative fiction interspersed with mystery, cli-fi, alternate futures, and a sprinkling of the supernatural. In a near future Europe fracturing under climate change and far-right politics, Biologist Lina Stephenson works in the remote Rila Mountains safely away from London State. A fugitive from her former life, her father persuaded her to get out. Now she is protected by the local militia after signing over citizenship. But following the assassination of a London minister, Lina’s name comes into question, threatening the safety of herself and her family. And to make matters worse, she is trapped with the dead man’s family.
So begins this complex, intricately woven tale, written in the third person although told primarily from Lina’s perspective. The cast is diverse, each battling events greater than themselves. As entwined personal histories are revealed, the characters are left wondering who they can trust and the readers are left wondering who is a reliable witness, making for a compelling plot. A character I particularly enjoyed was a mysterious young boy, Kai, who Lina is inexplicably drawn to. I was left wanting to know more about the boy who fights monsters, but parts of the mystery remain just beyond our reach, leaving space in the narrative for the reader to draw their own conclusions. I also loved the remote mountainous setting and Lina’s role as a biologist studying the conservation of biodiversity. The rich descriptions of place and wildlife were beautifully told, offering an immersive and atmospheric experience that I didn’t want to end. Yet despite the vast landscape the sense of claustrophobia and tensions grow, as the ultimate question is posed: who might you condemn to save another?
So begins this complex, intricately woven tale, written in the third person although told primarily from Lina’s perspective. The cast is diverse, each battling events greater than themselves. As entwined personal histories are revealed, the characters are left wondering who they can trust and the readers are left wondering who is a reliable witness, making for a compelling plot. A character I particularly enjoyed was a mysterious young boy, Kai, who Lina is inexplicably drawn to. I was left wanting to know more about the boy who fights monsters, but parts of the mystery remain just beyond our reach, leaving space in the narrative for the reader to draw their own conclusions. I also loved the remote mountainous setting and Lina’s role as a biologist studying the conservation of biodiversity. The rich descriptions of place and wildlife were beautifully told, offering an immersive and atmospheric experience that I didn’t want to end. Yet despite the vast landscape the sense of claustrophobia and tensions grow, as the ultimate question is posed: who might you condemn to save another?
July 31, 2021
I kept waiting for everything to slot into place but personally felt it never did. I felt thrown into the thick of things right from the start without any understanding of the past events or organisations mentioned. Some information was revealed later, but most was still a mystery to me.
I did enjoy the moral dilemmas that Lina went through balancing the safety of her own family against that of the dead man's family. I also liked the descriptions of the forest and the wildlife, very vivid. Kai was an interesting character that I wanted to know more about.
I felt like there was a lot of history missing from the story which meant I couldn't empathise with Lina. I wanted to know more about her and her family's past actions as well as more about London State and ESF as I couldn't really tell who was good or bad and why. I also couldn't relate to any of the other characters because I felt I didn't know anything about them.
Overall, this one just wasn't for me as I was generally just a bit confused throughout the book waiting for it all to come together; and I was left with a lot of unanswered questions.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from lovebookstours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I did enjoy the moral dilemmas that Lina went through balancing the safety of her own family against that of the dead man's family. I also liked the descriptions of the forest and the wildlife, very vivid. Kai was an interesting character that I wanted to know more about.
I felt like there was a lot of history missing from the story which meant I couldn't empathise with Lina. I wanted to know more about her and her family's past actions as well as more about London State and ESF as I couldn't really tell who was good or bad and why. I also couldn't relate to any of the other characters because I felt I didn't know anything about them.
Overall, this one just wasn't for me as I was generally just a bit confused throughout the book waiting for it all to come together; and I was left with a lot of unanswered questions.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from lovebookstours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
July 27, 2021
Lina is a scientist: she lives and works in a remote forest keeping watch over wild animals. There is unrest elsewhere in the world, and when a politician is killed in London, his family is sent to stay at Lina’s research facility… putting both her and her family at risk.
This story is beautifully written, easy to read and the action starts straight away. A lot of the mystery is created by the author by then not divulging too much about what has already happened, leaving the reader to work a lot out for themselves. This adds to the overall arcane feeling of the book but it did leave me with lots of unanswered questions after I’d finished reading.
The authors descriptions of the forest, mountains and villages are effortlessly done and transports the reader right into the surroundings.
Overall, I liked the story and the author’s style, but would have liked more of my questions answered.
This story is beautifully written, easy to read and the action starts straight away. A lot of the mystery is created by the author by then not divulging too much about what has already happened, leaving the reader to work a lot out for themselves. This adds to the overall arcane feeling of the book but it did leave me with lots of unanswered questions after I’d finished reading.
The authors descriptions of the forest, mountains and villages are effortlessly done and transports the reader right into the surroundings.
Overall, I liked the story and the author’s style, but would have liked more of my questions answered.
October 22, 2021
A gripping speculative novel about what we might sacrifice for our loved ones if it came to the toxic world climate change and loss of biodiversity could bring. Would we give up our sense of moral purpose, our humanity and sense of the good of the community, others, of the earth? Can we do both? Each of us is alone in wrestling with this in common with every other. We are already there. We are already making these choices. It's a compelling read, never lets up its narrative pace to the last and fulfils all of its promises. Read it!
September 2, 2023
This was a powerful reading experience that I lost myself in completely. I sank into the consciousness of the main character, Lina Stephenson, and felt as if I'd fallen into a disturbing dream that was edging towards a nightmare but from which I couldn't wake. I emerged with a sense of having lived through something difficult but important, dark but ultimately hopeful and also of having read something beautifully written, and elegantly structured.
'This Is Our Undoing', has elements that could classify it as a dystopian thriller, a story of personal trauma, climate fiction, or even magical realism but none of those labels work well for me. They are the threads, not the tapestry.
This is a tense but low-key story, soaked in guilt, fear, and impotent rage, heightened by bonds of love, inconvenient but inescapable empathy and an inability completely to let go of hope.
Set against a broadly drawn but credible dystopian background, it delivers an intensely personal story that is tightly focused on the personal cost of making difficult choices in circumstances where there are no good options, where you are confronted by the monstrous and where your survival may require you to become a monster.
The book opens quietly with scientist Lina Stephenson carrying out environmental fieldwork in the beautiful Rita mountains in Bulgaria. Her work feels real. routine and satisfying. It quickly gave me the sense that the mountains and the work that she did there were her refuge from the rest of the world. It allowed me to see Lina as resilient, cool-headed and competent, not quite at peace but finding moments of contentment. Then, like a slowly lengthening shadow, external politics, unexplained but threatening, fell across her refuge, dimming hope and summoning the ghosts of her past. I loved the way the pace of the story was managed so that what starts as a sense of disquiet, of distant threat, becomes a storm of intense fear and despair.
All of this is achieved in simple, clear prose that led me by the hand into the story. Take a look at the opening paragraphs and you'll see what I mean:
Some days, Lina Stephenson forgot about her ghosts entirely. She almost believed that the miles between her and her family were choice rather than necessity. Today was one of those days, and the last. There was a storm spinning in across Western Europe, extinguishing wildfires. There were bomb attacks and migrants drowning, but here in the Rila mountains there was only Lina cycling old roads to Beli Iskar, its red-tiled houses dotted between trees and incandescent in the sun. A cat crossed the track and it was still a surprise to see them, after flu and the culls. Two women in their garden shifting logs were watching her. Here it begins.
Wilson, Lorraine, This Is OurUndoing (p.6). Luna Press Publishing. Kindle Edition.
In a few lines, we get a picture of a new normal that includes regular natural disasters, terrorism and migrants fleeing from their homes. We also know that Lina is haunted by her past, even in this mountain refuge.
So, what is going on? Well, 'This Is Our Undoing' is set in a near future, ravaged by climate change, where nations have devolved into totalitarian City States and the most powerful international body is the ESF (Environment Security Force) that owns and protects the wilderness spaces. Lina works for and is protected by the ESF. Before she was a scientist with the ESF, Lina had a different name, a name that is on London State's Kill List. when the ESF let Lina know that London State had linked the assassination of a senior member of their government to a known associate of hers before she changed her name, she becomes desperate to arrange safe passage for her father and her step-sister to join her in Bulgaria. Then, the ESF let her know that the family of the recently assassinated man will be taking temporary refuge at Lina's research station and things become complicated.
Just as I was settling into what I thought was a dark but plausible political dystopia novel, Lorraine Wilson shifted the story into something more and different as small acts of violence occur in the woods and at the research station that may be political or may be something more sinister.
The arrival of the assassinated London State politician's broken and grieving family pulls equally at Lina's fear of and rage at what they represent and her empathy for the trauma that they've been through and the pain they are now in. Her anxiety for her family, her guilt about her past and her worry about her real identity being disclosed wear away at her day after day, raising her anxiety and clouding her judgement. None of the options she has to protect herself or her family are good ones. Most of them make her reassess the kind of person she is and the kind of person she is willing to become.
I felt the resilient, rational scientist I'd met at the start of the book starting to slide into a state of mind that embraced the supernatural and an acceptance that she was no longer sure what was real or what was right but that something bad, something worse, was coming and she would have to choose one of those bad options and take the consequences.
The denouement comes in a fierce storm, under threat of violence and when Lina is certain of little except that what she chooses to do next may save or condemn her family and may make her into the kind of monster she has always detested.
I loved that this was a book with no easy answers and no comfortable boundaries. I was caught up in how it turned the repression and violence of a totalitarian regime from something abstract into something personal, painful and complicated.
'This Is Our Undoing', has elements that could classify it as a dystopian thriller, a story of personal trauma, climate fiction, or even magical realism but none of those labels work well for me. They are the threads, not the tapestry.
This is a tense but low-key story, soaked in guilt, fear, and impotent rage, heightened by bonds of love, inconvenient but inescapable empathy and an inability completely to let go of hope.
Set against a broadly drawn but credible dystopian background, it delivers an intensely personal story that is tightly focused on the personal cost of making difficult choices in circumstances where there are no good options, where you are confronted by the monstrous and where your survival may require you to become a monster.
The book opens quietly with scientist Lina Stephenson carrying out environmental fieldwork in the beautiful Rita mountains in Bulgaria. Her work feels real. routine and satisfying. It quickly gave me the sense that the mountains and the work that she did there were her refuge from the rest of the world. It allowed me to see Lina as resilient, cool-headed and competent, not quite at peace but finding moments of contentment. Then, like a slowly lengthening shadow, external politics, unexplained but threatening, fell across her refuge, dimming hope and summoning the ghosts of her past. I loved the way the pace of the story was managed so that what starts as a sense of disquiet, of distant threat, becomes a storm of intense fear and despair.
All of this is achieved in simple, clear prose that led me by the hand into the story. Take a look at the opening paragraphs and you'll see what I mean:
Some days, Lina Stephenson forgot about her ghosts entirely. She almost believed that the miles between her and her family were choice rather than necessity. Today was one of those days, and the last. There was a storm spinning in across Western Europe, extinguishing wildfires. There were bomb attacks and migrants drowning, but here in the Rila mountains there was only Lina cycling old roads to Beli Iskar, its red-tiled houses dotted between trees and incandescent in the sun. A cat crossed the track and it was still a surprise to see them, after flu and the culls. Two women in their garden shifting logs were watching her. Here it begins.
Wilson, Lorraine, This Is OurUndoing (p.6). Luna Press Publishing. Kindle Edition.
In a few lines, we get a picture of a new normal that includes regular natural disasters, terrorism and migrants fleeing from their homes. We also know that Lina is haunted by her past, even in this mountain refuge.
So, what is going on? Well, 'This Is Our Undoing' is set in a near future, ravaged by climate change, where nations have devolved into totalitarian City States and the most powerful international body is the ESF (Environment Security Force) that owns and protects the wilderness spaces. Lina works for and is protected by the ESF. Before she was a scientist with the ESF, Lina had a different name, a name that is on London State's Kill List. when the ESF let Lina know that London State had linked the assassination of a senior member of their government to a known associate of hers before she changed her name, she becomes desperate to arrange safe passage for her father and her step-sister to join her in Bulgaria. Then, the ESF let her know that the family of the recently assassinated man will be taking temporary refuge at Lina's research station and things become complicated.
Just as I was settling into what I thought was a dark but plausible political dystopia novel, Lorraine Wilson shifted the story into something more and different as small acts of violence occur in the woods and at the research station that may be political or may be something more sinister.
The arrival of the assassinated London State politician's broken and grieving family pulls equally at Lina's fear of and rage at what they represent and her empathy for the trauma that they've been through and the pain they are now in. Her anxiety for her family, her guilt about her past and her worry about her real identity being disclosed wear away at her day after day, raising her anxiety and clouding her judgement. None of the options she has to protect herself or her family are good ones. Most of them make her reassess the kind of person she is and the kind of person she is willing to become.
I felt the resilient, rational scientist I'd met at the start of the book starting to slide into a state of mind that embraced the supernatural and an acceptance that she was no longer sure what was real or what was right but that something bad, something worse, was coming and she would have to choose one of those bad options and take the consequences.
The denouement comes in a fierce storm, under threat of violence and when Lina is certain of little except that what she chooses to do next may save or condemn her family and may make her into the kind of monster she has always detested.
I loved that this was a book with no easy answers and no comfortable boundaries. I was caught up in how it turned the repression and violence of a totalitarian regime from something abstract into something personal, painful and complicated.
January 30, 2022
Lorraine Wilson’s This Is Our Undoing is a beautiful, slowly unfolding story that marries a near-future world of despotic government states and a ravaged climate with a far more intimate story of love, survival, hope, and overcoming trauma.
Lina Stephenson has escaped her past to keep her family safe; working as a scientist in a remote outpost. She is surrounded by wildlife and nature and can distance herself emotionally from what happened, as long as she knows her father and adopted sibling will not be harmed. But the things she and her family have done still have hooks in her, and when the widow and son of a murdered far-right politician are sent to the outpost for safety, her two separate worlds meet and shatter.
This is Our Undoing is subtly and beautifully drawn, and the rigid brutal structures of the states and factions are overlaid with the beauty of the recovering world Lina lives in now. Wilson has a wonderful way of bringing the natural world to life, and she paints images that linger in your mind. Slowly, she tightens the tensions that have snared Lina, and more and more of her past, and the fragility of her escape is revealed. The story may be near-future politically, but it has an undercurrent of mythology, of old gods and new ghosts, that make this a book that straddles genres and creates a complex world.
Lina’s careful dance between lies of necessity and her desire to exchange cruelty for kindness can make her feel sometimes like she is turning her wheels. The fact it took her so long to see what one of the characters was, was a little frustrating, but partly that is because it is so obvious to the reader. But these are small things, and the story was captivating and gorgeously written, with multiple story threads building up into an interconnected pattern.
If you’re looking for a genre-defying story that grows like a wild vine over the ruins of human hubris and ends with a fragile hope, then this one is for you.
Lina Stephenson has escaped her past to keep her family safe; working as a scientist in a remote outpost. She is surrounded by wildlife and nature and can distance herself emotionally from what happened, as long as she knows her father and adopted sibling will not be harmed. But the things she and her family have done still have hooks in her, and when the widow and son of a murdered far-right politician are sent to the outpost for safety, her two separate worlds meet and shatter.
This is Our Undoing is subtly and beautifully drawn, and the rigid brutal structures of the states and factions are overlaid with the beauty of the recovering world Lina lives in now. Wilson has a wonderful way of bringing the natural world to life, and she paints images that linger in your mind. Slowly, she tightens the tensions that have snared Lina, and more and more of her past, and the fragility of her escape is revealed. The story may be near-future politically, but it has an undercurrent of mythology, of old gods and new ghosts, that make this a book that straddles genres and creates a complex world.
Lina’s careful dance between lies of necessity and her desire to exchange cruelty for kindness can make her feel sometimes like she is turning her wheels. The fact it took her so long to see what one of the characters was, was a little frustrating, but partly that is because it is so obvious to the reader. But these are small things, and the story was captivating and gorgeously written, with multiple story threads building up into an interconnected pattern.
If you’re looking for a genre-defying story that grows like a wild vine over the ruins of human hubris and ends with a fragile hope, then this one is for you.
August 3, 2021
Thank you to the author and @lovebookstours (Instagram) for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My opinion of this book is pretty split down the middle. I really enjoyed the second half, but was mostly just confused while reading the first half.
This book is wonderfully written and undoubtedly original. The society in which it is set is under a totalitarian rule. I felt it was written in such a way that it’s was so scary because it’s not all that far fetched - I honestly think the society portrayed in this book is something that could happen. I liked the characters, too, though I think the world is a bigger selling point.
Here was my issue (though it should be noted that I think many readers would enjoy this) : you’re thrown into the action without buildup and everything you learn is from the perspective of the main character at the time. There’s no jump backs in time to explain something, or even more explanation every time, it’s mentioned because Lina thinks about it, and if her thoughts don’t elaborate on it then you don’t always learn more. It kind of felt like reading a dystopian book that was a mystery within itself. You have to take the pieces of what you learn and figure it out. I think this was very well done and an incredibly interesting way to write as well as being quite impressive, but it just wasn’t for me, hence why I enjoyed the second half far more - I just had a better grip on what was actually happening.
Overall, I absolutely recommend this book for those who enjoy a fast-paced, thought provoking read, and for lovers of dystopian books generally, just maybe not for people who want to be told what is happening and focus on just the plot as it’s given.
My opinion of this book is pretty split down the middle. I really enjoyed the second half, but was mostly just confused while reading the first half.
This book is wonderfully written and undoubtedly original. The society in which it is set is under a totalitarian rule. I felt it was written in such a way that it’s was so scary because it’s not all that far fetched - I honestly think the society portrayed in this book is something that could happen. I liked the characters, too, though I think the world is a bigger selling point.
Here was my issue (though it should be noted that I think many readers would enjoy this) : you’re thrown into the action without buildup and everything you learn is from the perspective of the main character at the time. There’s no jump backs in time to explain something, or even more explanation every time, it’s mentioned because Lina thinks about it, and if her thoughts don’t elaborate on it then you don’t always learn more. It kind of felt like reading a dystopian book that was a mystery within itself. You have to take the pieces of what you learn and figure it out. I think this was very well done and an incredibly interesting way to write as well as being quite impressive, but it just wasn’t for me, hence why I enjoyed the second half far more - I just had a better grip on what was actually happening.
Overall, I absolutely recommend this book for those who enjoy a fast-paced, thought provoking read, and for lovers of dystopian books generally, just maybe not for people who want to be told what is happening and focus on just the plot as it’s given.
July 25, 2021
I love how this book doesn’t spoon feed the reader, you are immediately sucked into Lina’s dilemmas, there is no jumping around in time or any location changes. All backstory is told through what the main character Is thinking at the time the story takes place. There is a lot left open in general for the reader to fill in themselves and nothing is spelt out.
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the rural surroundings, which was beautifully portrayed and the frequent use of technology like drones, tablets and tagging of animals. The book had an interesting take on a dystopian future where the planet is clearly endangered with crazy weather patterns and tyrannical governments. There is also a slight supernatural element peppered with ancient folklore.
It may have been deliberate, but I found the book’s setting claustrophobic. It’s strange because they were surrounded by wilderness so you wouldn’t expect it,but I found the fact that it all takes place in the one area stifling. I imagine that was how Lina must have felt as she was only really safe there and she couldn’t really leave.
I think I would have preferred this book had it been told in 1st person from Lina’s point of view. Even though it was third person you never really hear about anyone else’s point of view besides Lina’s anyway. This way though, it felt a little detached to me.
It was an Interesting premise, an original story and overall an alright read.
Thank you to TBC for an ARC of this book in an exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the rural surroundings, which was beautifully portrayed and the frequent use of technology like drones, tablets and tagging of animals. The book had an interesting take on a dystopian future where the planet is clearly endangered with crazy weather patterns and tyrannical governments. There is also a slight supernatural element peppered with ancient folklore.
It may have been deliberate, but I found the book’s setting claustrophobic. It’s strange because they were surrounded by wilderness so you wouldn’t expect it,but I found the fact that it all takes place in the one area stifling. I imagine that was how Lina must have felt as she was only really safe there and she couldn’t really leave.
I think I would have preferred this book had it been told in 1st person from Lina’s point of view. Even though it was third person you never really hear about anyone else’s point of view besides Lina’s anyway. This way though, it felt a little detached to me.
It was an Interesting premise, an original story and overall an alright read.
Thank you to TBC for an ARC of this book in an exchange for an honest review.
July 26, 2021
Lina lives in the forest somewhere remote in Europe. She works as some kind of nature researcher and tracks and keeps watch of the wild animals.
The world is not like we know it and is set in a dystopian future where London State rules and politics play a massive part.
It took me ages to catch on to what was going on, as it doesn't really explain what the London state is and how things are different.
But someone Lina knows from her past has been killed and she fears for her and her family's safety. She has friends who try to help them get out of London state and bring her father and adopted brother to her.
Meanwhile, at the same time, a government official is also murdered, and someone as his family is brought over to stay with Lina, as a safe house.
It was all a bit confusing for maybe the first half of the book. In the second half, I got more into it and enjoyed it more. There were still parts that I am not sure of, such as why Lina was in so much danger. It only mentioned it was because of her mother but didn't really go into details.
Then we have a young boy who has come with the dead officials family to stay there. He seems very strange, and I caught on to what was up with him early on. reading about him was my favourite part of the book.
One thing I didn't like about the book was how Lina's brother eventually came to Lina's. but all of a sudden he wanted to be a girl, and she started calling him her sister. I am all for transgender in books but this was a bit far fetched. I mean he literally decides he was a girl overnight, no build-up to it or nothing. It felt like the author just threw that in there to give the book wider representation.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this. The second half was better than the first half. Would read more from this author and I love the cover.
3.5/5 stars
* I received a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
The world is not like we know it and is set in a dystopian future where London State rules and politics play a massive part.
It took me ages to catch on to what was going on, as it doesn't really explain what the London state is and how things are different.
But someone Lina knows from her past has been killed and she fears for her and her family's safety. She has friends who try to help them get out of London state and bring her father and adopted brother to her.
Meanwhile, at the same time, a government official is also murdered, and someone as his family is brought over to stay with Lina, as a safe house.
It was all a bit confusing for maybe the first half of the book. In the second half, I got more into it and enjoyed it more. There were still parts that I am not sure of, such as why Lina was in so much danger. It only mentioned it was because of her mother but didn't really go into details.
Then we have a young boy who has come with the dead officials family to stay there. He seems very strange, and I caught on to what was up with him early on. reading about him was my favourite part of the book.
One thing I didn't like about the book was how Lina's brother eventually came to Lina's. but all of a sudden he wanted to be a girl, and she started calling him her sister. I am all for transgender in books but this was a bit far fetched. I mean he literally decides he was a girl overnight, no build-up to it or nothing. It felt like the author just threw that in there to give the book wider representation.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this. The second half was better than the first half. Would read more from this author and I love the cover.
3.5/5 stars
* I received a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
June 27, 2022
THIS IS OUR UNDOING is a frighteningly realistic slice of dystopian fiction which is set in a world reeling for the effects of our own ecological, climactic and political issues. Biologist Lina Stephenson has been posted to what could be described as a forest idyll, far from the storms of climate change and political strife. However, an act of terrorism in faraway London has shattering repercussions for Lina and her team and suddenly the turmoil of the world beyond the borders of the forest comes crashing in.
This novel is deceptively gentle, but as the story unfolds tension quickly mounts. The predicament in which Lina finds herself becomes increasingly complex and knife-edge. She is faced with awful decisions and the story tone goes from warm to bleak. Suspense is skilfully built, the dilemmas faced by the fascinating cast of characters convincingly constructed.
THSI IS OUR UNDOING in a demanding read, but one with its roots firmly planted in the soil of present day reality. highly recommended.
This novel is deceptively gentle, but as the story unfolds tension quickly mounts. The predicament in which Lina finds herself becomes increasingly complex and knife-edge. She is faced with awful decisions and the story tone goes from warm to bleak. Suspense is skilfully built, the dilemmas faced by the fascinating cast of characters convincingly constructed.
THSI IS OUR UNDOING in a demanding read, but one with its roots firmly planted in the soil of present day reality. highly recommended.
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