Dioramas

by Blair Austin

In this hybrid novel—part essay, part prose poem, part travel narrative—Blair Austin brings us nose to the glass with our own vanishing world, what we preserve and at what cost.

In a city far in the future, in a society that has come through a great upheaval, retired lecturer Wiggins moves from window to window in a museum, intricately describing each scene. Whales gliding above a shipwreck and a lost cup and saucer. An animatronic forest twenty stories tall. urban wolves in the light of an apartment building. A line of mosquitoes in uniforms and regalia, honored as heroes of the last great war.
 
Bit by bit, Wiggins unspools the secrets of his world—the conflict that brought it to the brink, and the great thinker, Michaux, who led the diorama revolution, himself now preserved under glass.
 
After a phone call in the middle of the night, Wiggins sets out to visit the Diorama of the an entire, dioramic world, hundreds of miles across, where people are objects of curiosity, taxidermied and posed. All his life, Wiggins has longed to see it. But in the Town, he comes face to face with the diorama’s contradictions. Its legacy of political violence. Its manipulation by those with power and money. And its paper-thin promise of immortality.

Genres: Fiction, Speculative Fiction

310 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2023

Reviews

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times I was at a two - four, not able to really read it as quickly as I like with a novel; it is very disjointed. The disjointedness is purposeful, it does remind me of viewing dioramas specifically the little rooms at the art institute of Chicago- you see these little worlds and have to take time to digest each one, you can’t really just quickly view them. It requires time and patience.

When he finally gets to the Goll town diorama, the story really became engaging to me. It is all well written but this final section was by far my favorite story wise. It is off putting in the way science and art often can be- the realization I’m looking at insides or death or whatever it may be. A very twisted but beautiful story.

“for there to be a future there must be nostalgia for events that have not happened and that will consist in our absence and that we will never see. We will gather purity to us by our absence from the world. That is the hope, anyway. The diorama thus presents us with a picture of the end of the world, with ourselves as the final viewer in a place, our own world, that has ended.”

[Sara Reeves · Rating 1 out of 5]

As it turns out, I need a book with a plot. And 100 pages in, there still wasn’t a plot. Based on the description, maybe there will never be one. Just couldn’t keep reading.

[Laura Paisley Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dioramas: Where Reality Meets Miniature Madness
Blair Austin is Brilliant!
Blair Austin's "Dioramas" is a masterpiece of quiet disturbance. Like peering into a meticulously crafted miniature world, this Dzanc Book Award winner pulls you in until you're not quite sure where the boundaries lie between what's real and what's carefully constructed.
The story unfolds through the voice of an elderly narrator whose obsession with dioramas goes far beyond mere hobby. Their exhaustive knowledge of diorama history, legendary craftspeople, and the almost ritualistic techniques and materials involved becomes a lens through which we view everything—and eventually question everything. The narrator's deep dive into superstitions surrounding these miniature worlds adds an extra layer of unsettling charm to the narrative.
What makes this book brilliant is how it mirrors the very art form it describes. Just as dioramas create perfect little worlds that seem almost-but-not-quite real, Austin's prose constructs a reality that keeps shifting under our feet. The narrator's possible dementia and paranoia don't so much reveal themselves as slowly seep into our consciousness, leaving us wonderfully uncertain about what we're experiencing.
This isn't a book that shouts its brilliance from the rooftops. Instead, it whispers its secrets, leading readers through a maze of exquisite prose and delicate uncertainty. "Dioramas" deserves far more attention than it's received—it's a rare find that proves literary innovation doesn't need to be loud to be revolutionary.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wiggins is a retired lecturer focused on the creation of dioramas. In a future world where the natural world has changed dramatically, the past has been delicately preserved in dioramas of every size. Wiggins idolizes Michaux, a famed dioramist known for a certain style and technique. Michaux himself is part of a diorama now, but an even more intriguing prospect appears when Wiggins is invited to visit The Town. The Town is an entire world in a diorama, where people are the main attraction. Exploring The Town is a process and Wiggins begins to see the truth behind the façade of the dioramas.

Dioramas is a unique work of speculative fiction. This was a different reading experience for me, the reading is in shorter snippets from the point of view of Wiggins as he studies each diorama. The dioramas are mostly of the distant past, but some seem to be from a more current past or present time. There is not a lot of context or world building and it was a little unsettling to read each snippet where the dioramas described are just slightly off kilter, yet completely intriguing and kept me wanting to read more and explore the next, small world in the dioramas. The Town was completely intriguing and I loved exploring all of the curious knicks and crannies through Wiggins' point of view. Dioramas is a detail-oriented immersive and thought provoking work

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

[Samantha Grenier · Rating 4 out of 5]

“All dioramas were in some sense equally innocent. They were simply what they were.”

While this book is split between Animal & Human dioramas, the whole of the text feels like an exploration of what it is to be “human” and “alive.” I couldn’t help but reflect on my experience of seeing the Body Worlds exhibit back in 2013. There’s a shared vulnerability between the viewer (or reader), and the exhibited.

Part of this book is presented through an oral delivery of a slide presentation, and eventually exhibit tours of a converted town/natural history museum. I loved the delivery of the presentation, it took me by surprise. The examination of the town dioramas reminded me Mary Roach’s Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and the question of how to deal with your corpse. There’s ethical, scientific, and caste repercussions. Either way, “I am a tourist.”

Thank you Dzanc for fulfilling my request to preview this book. I cherished my experience, and look forward to more works by Austin & this publishing house. 🖤

[Chelsea Martinez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is written in a style that impressively matches the setting and the world-making; but to me, whether intentional or not, it feels airless and overdetermined, and I didn't manage to get invested in the goals of preservation and permanence of the protagonist, the professional/civic hierarchy, etc. I think it was just too solitary for me; it's a hard thing to bring life to a book about a person who spends most of their time alone.

[Abbey Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavily metaphorical and, assuredly, will require a second read to really absorb the layers of meaning. Beautifully written and poetic and writing structure was unique and lent itself well to the themes of the book. I only wish the ending fleshed out some of the mysterious elements a little more, but it retains the mystery that way!!!

[Willow Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Innovative

[Kim Conklin]

A truly unique novel, quirky, captivating and haunting.

[Asa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dioramas may become a comfort book for me. The writing style is slow and meditative, which was calming to read, despite the book's unsettling elements. I love the setting of this melancholic, somewhat retrofuturistic world. It feels like a dying world; it has an emptiness to it; you get a sense of the vastness of its history without feeling much of a future ahead of it. The experience of reading this book does produce the exact feeling of walking alone through an empty museum.

The structure of the vignette chapters builds the world in an affecting way, creating a palpable mood piece by piece through the exposition of these dioramas. There are a lot of great explorations of what a "diorama" can be in this book, but, as a commuter, one image that really resonated with me was the animated diorama in the subway tunnel, and its ambiguous message.

This book left an impression on me—its atmosphere is exquisite. If you are looking for a book for fragile days in, this one is perfect.