Status Updates From A Constellation of Vital Ph...

Definitely picked up with all the relationships intermingling. It’s a mess, but you really feel for these characters and the tough spots they’re in.

The tragedies of war are not just the direct fighting, but in the relationships strained and pulled apart. And there is a slight bit of warmth at least in the maturity of some of the characters and their determination and resilience.

It’s still good with the characters being the best part. However, I find at times the writing is a bit overwrought with excessive use of similes and metaphors for everything. And still I kinda wish we had more character focus as the politics and history kind of lose me.

Actually getting into it. The relationships and personalities are great, though the history and politics lost me for a bit.

I enjoyed the weighty ideas considered between Sonja and Natasha’s relationship, Havaa’s misplaced hate for Akhmed and taking to Sonja, and Khassen and his son’s strained relationship.

And overall it’s bleak and depressing, but still I feel traces of warmth. Quite enjoy.

Interesting, love the characters and the setting and desperation is done well. The characters’ struggles and personalities are touching as well.

But it’s a bit, stiff (?) in terms of writing—maybe I’m just not in the right headspace but sometimes the writing feels a bit too manufactured if that makes sense—slightly lacking in an artistic elegance sense.