Claire Oshetsky > Status Update

I’d say technicolour more than surreal - everything feels heightened. I mean that in the best way.

Hmmmm...that's a good question. When I was reading Evil Genius it gave me a similar feeling as to when I was reading Slaughterhouse Five (another 5 star for me), which although realistic, was also at the same time "surreal". Let me put it this way, if there had been melting clocks in either Celia's home or her workplace, I would not have been overly surprised, and would have allowed for it somehow. Where you, the author, might have intended pure realism, there are some readers like me who married the realism with both escapism and surrealism.

Thank you both! This is useful. Chouette feels “surreal” in that it’s a world where a a woman gives birth to an owl. Evil Genius feels like the normal world to me, where I guess surreal things happen all the time.

I was thinking about the craft of Slaughterhouse 5 this afternoon. For me it’s a perfect balance of humor and terrible truths.