This was a DNF for me, simply because I was not the reader for this book.
I found the opening, which was a note from the author, to set a tone for the book that probably negatively impacted my view of it, though I really liked the idea of community it seemed to be pushing. In the opening note, the author says “Trust me” and that the story “will make sense as we go along.” But, I don’t think I’m in the mindset to wait for something to make sense without being entertained or enticed first. The setup came off as a bit supercilious and didactic without yet earning my trust, perhaps. Maybe the pay off is worth it, as this has a lot of good reviews here. But I found it, plus the vague nature of the narrative, keeping me at a distance from joining any “we.”
So much of this book reminded me of Octavia Butler’s THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. I’ve only read the graphic novel adaptation of that, but some of that story did not resonate with me either (the settler aspects and space colonization, perhaps). But the pre-utopian setting and the horror of escaping a dystopia to create true community were there. Also the binary of “We” and “They” reminded me Butler’s other work, where the Other is explored — Lilith’s Brood and the short story Bloodchild. In those there was something of a “humans treated how we treat animals” aspect in them, where here I picked up something like a farm animal vibe? A lot of farm imagery came to mind as I was reading this.
This book is so short you can hardly go wrong, but the “poetical” text requires a bit too much investment and interpretation for an author I am not familiar with when my time and attention are so limited (again, this is a reader issue more than a book issue likely).
I received a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
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