SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases discussion

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Once I realized that this book consisted purely as a record of one person’s POV I worried that it would not hold my interest. Especially as I soon also understood that it was not what I would describe as a fantasy (fantastic beings, powers, etc.), or science fiction story. Those genres have been my usual fare in recent years and I would consider this book more of an alternative contemporary or very near future tale. However, the further I read, the more interesting the story became. I began by considering that the main character, Eilish, was rather a naïve, middle class woman, married to an academic trade unionist and living a comfortable life in the suburbs of Dublin. As things progressed my view of her changed. Here was a mother trying to do what mothers have done through the ages when their men folk have vanished during a period of war or civil unrest, maintain as stable a family life for her surviving children as was possible given the chaos around them. Coupled with this was the necessary maturing of her children, especially the daughter Molly, whom I felt was fast taking some of the pressure off her mother. I thought the destruction of their city, the dehumanization of the family, interspersed with small acts of kindness, and the predatory traffickers were especially poignant given current world events.
If there was any weak point in this story I would consider it to be the escape of Eilish’s father, Simon, given his age and confused state. It felt a convenient way to dispose of the character by the author. However, this is a minor issue, overall I would easily rate this story 5 star, and hope to read more by Lynch in the future.

wow, ED. I hated it.

But you guys knew that . . .

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I couldn't finish this. The march from dread to dread was more than I could stand.

Kimberly wrote: "I couldn't finish this. The march from dread to dread was more than I could stand."

SO TRUE. Skimming it was the only thing that allowed me to get through. And I am not sure why I bothered except I got interested. Then, when it was all over, I'm sorry I wasted my time

Kateblue wrote: wow, ED. I hated it.
Kimberly wrote: "I couldn't finish this. The march from dread to dread was more than I could stand."

I suppose I'm just a 'glass half empty' sort of person.

I gave it 5 stars. When I finished I found that I was crying. So good.

Wow, we either love or hate it.

My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Cordelia wrote: "I gave it 5 stars. When I finished I found that I was crying. So good."

Yes, it is definitely strong and masterfully written. However, I, as a person, who (I guess not surprisingly) follow the news of russian invasion of Ukraine, who already has several acquaintances dead because of it, cannot stop comparing this fictional war with the real one... and the real is worse

Oleksandr wrote: "My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Interesting review. However the link above seems corrupt or something, I had to find it myself.

I’m not sure I want to read the book, though it sounds very good in some ways. I’ll keep it in the back of my mind and maybe check it out in the future.

Stephen wrote: "Interesting review. However the link above seems corrupt or something, I had to find it myself."

Thanks, I've corrected it. The book is talentedly written, but if one sees SF as an escapist literature, this is the opposite.

Review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I kindof regret suggesting this for the group, though some people seem to have loved it at least.