How High We Go in the Dark
- Downloads：2347
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-20 18:21:29
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Sequoia Nagamatsu
- ISBN：0063072645
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Annarella
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It's not easy to review this book because it made me feel so many different emotions that I had to stop reading and start again after a bit。There's heartbreak， some dark humour， and there're all the possible type of grief。It's a set of short stories bound by a a pandemic caused by an unknown virus。 It may seem dystopia but there's a real possibility that the the melting permafrost will release unknown virus。The author did an excellent job in writing the different stories and creating some of the It's not easy to review this book because it made me feel so many different emotions that I had to stop reading and start again after a bit。There's heartbreak， some dark humour， and there're all the possible type of grief。It's a set of short stories bound by a a pandemic caused by an unknown virus。 It may seem dystopia but there's a real possibility that the the melting permafrost will release unknown virus。The author did an excellent job in writing the different stories and creating some of the most heartbreaking scenario I've ever read。I loved it and kept on thinking about it: bleak， dark， somehow related to our time。 But there's also hope and positive emotions。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Rebecca S
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How High We Go in the Dark is such a wonderful book that tells the story of a pandemic that is far worse than the one we're suffering through。 We get to follow several people that tell a mostly linear story that will at times make you cry。 I was concerned at first at the multiple POVs and that I wouldn't be able to keep track of who was who， or be able to feel for the characters as their stories were fairly short， but this concern was unfounded。 Nagamatsu manages to make us feel for each of the How High We Go in the Dark is such a wonderful book that tells the story of a pandemic that is far worse than the one we're suffering through。 We get to follow several people that tell a mostly linear story that will at times make you cry。 I was concerned at first at the multiple POVs and that I wouldn't be able to keep track of who was who， or be able to feel for the characters as their stories were fairly short， but this concern was unfounded。 Nagamatsu manages to make us feel for each of the characters， and engage in their story。The book is mostly "soft sci-fi，" so even if you aren't a sci-fi fan this book will work for you。 However， if you're a hard-core sci-fi fan and you want to understand exactly how everything works and why， this isn't for you。 It is speculative sci-fi at its best， engaging the reader in the choices we make for ourselves and our family， the different ways love looks like， what a collective trauma looks and feels like， and also the ramifications of that trauma on future generations。 Though I have a few wishes on what I would've liked to hear more of in the story， it's things I can infer and the book doesn't suffer for this。This was a book I was very eager to read in 2022 and I was so happy to find it on my audiobook listening app that I put it above all other books I am currently reading and finished it in a day。 。。。more
Geonn Cannon
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I'm not normally a fan of interconnected short stories （although they're a step above story collections that aren't connected at all） but this one managed to win me over。 It allowed a good exploration of the world and the evolution of life pre- and post-virus。 It couldn't have had the same scope if it had focused on a single group of characters， and that would've been a shame。 I'm not normally a fan of interconnected short stories （although they're a step above story collections that aren't connected at all） but this one managed to win me over。 It allowed a good exploration of the world and the evolution of life pre- and post-virus。 It couldn't have had the same scope if it had focused on a single group of characters， and that would've been a shame。 。。。more
Xenia
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Just。 Wow。I know we're only in January， but it's going to be a tough battle for any other book to knock this off my top spot for the year。 Incredibly sad， incredibly sweet， incredibly hopeful; in short， incredible。（Free copy received through Libro。fm） Just。 Wow。I know we're only in January， but it's going to be a tough battle for any other book to knock this off my top spot for the year。 Incredibly sad， incredibly sweet， incredibly hopeful; in short， incredible。（Free copy received through Libro。fm） 。。。more
Manisha
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Listened to the audiobook。Wow。
Sam
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Very unique and interesting book。 I couldn’t put it down。 Liked the audio which was performed by a huge cast。
Timothy Urges
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I saw a civilization that could destroy itself before it even reached the nearest star。 How High We Go in the Dark is a book of possibilities。 Life is as absurd as death。 And what a beautiful mess we are blessed with。 In a cave beneath the ancient ice of Siberia a virus sleeps。 As Earth warms， the permafrost loosens her grip。 The virus wakes and the planet is tested。 How High We Go in the Dark is more of a collection of connected short stories than a direct novel—but that’s life isn’t it？ A coll I saw a civilization that could destroy itself before it even reached the nearest star。 How High We Go in the Dark is a book of possibilities。 Life is as absurd as death。 And what a beautiful mess we are blessed with。 In a cave beneath the ancient ice of Siberia a virus sleeps。 As Earth warms， the permafrost loosens her grip。 The virus wakes and the planet is tested。 How High We Go in the Dark is more of a collection of connected short stories than a direct novel—but that’s life isn’t it？ A collection of stories in which we all play a part。 We witness the discovery of the virus， it’s devastating effects on future generations， and the absurd rituals that humans develop in order to cope （a trip to the euthanasia park， anyone？）。 No life is left unaffected。 There are times in the book when I wish it would take itself more seriously， when it verges on entering the satirical realm。 But I think Nagamatsu is making a point: that even in our suffering we still find ways to pay our meaningless bills and we find ways to hate our parents， but it’s all null。 We are shuffling along in the void， waiting to cease existing， when all we have to do is look around us and observe the possibilities。 Nothing is for naught。 Existence requires trial and error。 We will make many errors—and that is perfectly all right。 *Won in a Goodreads giveaway。* 。。。more
Bee
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was beautifully written with a variety of well drawn characters。 I personally feel the more grounded chapters were stronger than others and the final character chapter really fell flat for me。 It didn't feel like a new take on the concept or a current take done well。 Overall， I really enjoyed it。 This was beautifully written with a variety of well drawn characters。 I personally feel the more grounded chapters were stronger than others and the final character chapter really fell flat for me。 It didn't feel like a new take on the concept or a current take done well。 Overall， I really enjoyed it。 。。。more
Emma Ann
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Wow， I have a lot of thoughts and so much difficulty organizing them。 The story opens when an Arctic virus is released from a melting Siberian glacier， and the novel takes shape as a series of interconnected short stories about the fallout。 We meet a talking pig， an employee at a euthanasia amusement park， and a man with a singularity in his head， among others。 In some ways， this book was difficult to read， kind of like pulling off a scab。 The story is filled with death， specifically plague-rela Wow， I have a lot of thoughts and so much difficulty organizing them。 The story opens when an Arctic virus is released from a melting Siberian glacier， and the novel takes shape as a series of interconnected short stories about the fallout。 We meet a talking pig， an employee at a euthanasia amusement park， and a man with a singularity in his head， among others。 In some ways， this book was difficult to read， kind of like pulling off a scab。 The story is filled with death， specifically plague-related death。 Nagamatsu is exceptional at showing the little， heartbreaking ways that grief changes people’s lives。 But he also never stops focusing on small moments of connection between the people who are still here。***Assorted things I liked:- Nagamatsu’s writing style。 His prose is clean， elegant， and never gets in the way of the larger story。- The very last chapter/short story。 I had no idea how Nagamatsu would end a novel with so many POV characters and a scope of hundreds of years， but the closing section of the novel beautifully pulls together everything that came before。- Some of the short stories’ unabashed strangeness。 Nagamatsu isn’t afraid to get weird （see: talking pig， man with a singularity inside of his head）。 Even when a premise feels implausible， the richness of the characters grounds the story。Assorted things I didn’t like as much:- Every story but one is told in first person。 The odd one out is in third。 So many first person narratives were hard to keep track of—and just when I started to get used to it， we switched to third for some reason？ I’m curious what went into that decision。- At times， the inherently fragmented structure of the novel worked against it for me。 A couple of the narrators I just couldn’t bring myself to care about。 But in a book made up of so many small stories， it seems inevitable that I’d find some more compelling than others。 - [MINOR SPOILERS IN THIS BULLET] For a novel whose first half is entirely concerned with a plague， it felt anticlimactic and odd for a cure to be found in the background， off-page。 I would have loved a chapter devoted to the moment of cure discovery， but alas， it was not to be。[Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy for review。] 。。。more
Joanne Howard
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Really impressive novel in vignettes。 Concepts of each chapter are imaginative， and I think it does have something new to say about mortality， grief， and loss。 It moves from deep sadness to hope and back， and in that way captures the human experience。 The writing is not particularly flowery， not many （if any？） similes but the sentences are well crafted， details specific， and tone reverent。 The overall effect is a quiet devastation， and that is pulled off very well。 I have to say the pace is not Really impressive novel in vignettes。 Concepts of each chapter are imaginative， and I think it does have something new to say about mortality， grief， and loss。 It moves from deep sadness to hope and back， and in that way captures the human experience。 The writing is not particularly flowery， not many （if any？） similes but the sentences are well crafted， details specific， and tone reverent。 The overall effect is a quiet devastation， and that is pulled off very well。 I have to say the pace is not exactly gripping; I'm not flashing through pages wondering what will happen next。 I get that that's the point of this book， exploring the quiet moments that dying brings， and a slower pace also tends to be something I notice in other post-apocalyptic books。 The big event has already happened before the book starts， and the story is just sorting through the aftermath with no clear path forward。 That being said， it's such a unique and timely book。 The author clearly has command of language， and as I said， the ideas in it are truly imaginative and unforgettable。 。。。more
bookstahere
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This is about a deadly virus that changes life on the planet itself and it is in the form of interconnected stories with a tiny link between all of them。 The links between different stories that span across generations was amazing。 It starts off in the Arctic and ends somewhere far from earth！！It is not covid but covid has made us accept this kind of dystopian world more easily。 It is dark and deals a lot with death but it is really brilliant。 Did I say it is really well-written that me being s This is about a deadly virus that changes life on the planet itself and it is in the form of interconnected stories with a tiny link between all of them。 The links between different stories that span across generations was amazing。 It starts off in the Arctic and ends somewhere far from earth！！It is not covid but covid has made us accept this kind of dystopian world more easily。 It is dark and deals a lot with death but it is really brilliant。 Did I say it is really well-written that me being someone averse to reading about death could still appreciate this remarkable book。This is definitely unlike anything that I’ve read before！ 。。。more
Joy Baglio
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I'm very grateful I was able to get an early glimpse of this incredible novel， which I have been thinking about for months now。 In my opinion the unflinching genius of Sequoia Nagamatsu's debut is its ability to encompass so much （generations， characters， worlds， etc） while remaining so singularly， deeply personal at the same time。 By the end， it’s the characters I am left with - their deep personal struggles， their striving in the face of the insurmountable， the unconscionable， the all-too-huma I'm very grateful I was able to get an early glimpse of this incredible novel， which I have been thinking about for months now。 In my opinion the unflinching genius of Sequoia Nagamatsu's debut is its ability to encompass so much （generations， characters， worlds， etc） while remaining so singularly， deeply personal at the same time。 By the end， it’s the characters I am left with - their deep personal struggles， their striving in the face of the insurmountable， the unconscionable， the all-too-human， and it's this masterful exploration of character， grief， and hope that makes this reading experience so universal and profound。 Of course， I am a huge fan of everything else Sequoia Nagamatsu weaves into this experience as well: the speculative world building， the unexpected humor even in the face of death， the incredible details and attention to scientific realism， the fraught family dynamics， etc。 This is a transcendent book， one that flies in the face of despair and speaks to our ability to reinvent and adapt and hope despite all odds。 。。。more
Amanda
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Angry Angel Books review: https://angryangelbooks。com/2022/01/1。。。 Angry Angel Books review: https://angryangelbooks。com/2022/01/1。。。 。。。more
Eric Anderson
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It's impossible to know how we'll react to losing a loved one until it happens。 Similarly， it's difficult to predict how an ongoing pandemic and environmental crisis will shape our society's future。 But these are issues which Sequoia Nagamatsu movingly examines on many different individual human levels within his imaginative and absorbing debut “How High We Go In The Dark”。 The novel opens with the discovery of the preserved remains of a prehistoric girl who is found amidst the melting permafros It's impossible to know how we'll react to losing a loved one until it happens。 Similarly， it's difficult to predict how an ongoing pandemic and environmental crisis will shape our society's future。 But these are issues which Sequoia Nagamatsu movingly examines on many different individual human levels within his imaginative and absorbing debut “How High We Go In The Dark”。 The novel opens with the discovery of the preserved remains of a prehistoric girl who is found amidst the melting permafrost in the Arctic Circle and， with her， a deadly virus is reintroduced into human civilization。 By following the many lives of a number of linked individuals across hundreds of years we see the way our society splits apart， comes back together and grieves for what is lost。 Read my full review of How High We Go In The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu at LonesomeReader 。。。more
Tucker
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Extraordinarily big-concept and beautiful。 Climate change is everything， pandemic is everything， with a sense of the cosmic and spiritual and also the intimately personal。 The timeline telescopes， small-scale and large-scale at the same time。 I wrote a few reflections here on Medium （this link is unpaywalled）。 Extraordinarily big-concept and beautiful。 Climate change is everything， pandemic is everything， with a sense of the cosmic and spiritual and also the intimately personal。 The timeline telescopes， small-scale and large-scale at the same time。 I wrote a few reflections here on Medium （this link is unpaywalled）。 。。。more
Nidhi Shrivastava
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Happy Publication Day！ “what is laughter but a moment of release when pain and trauma are washed away？ When we laugh， we are stronger。 When we laugh， we heal the world” One of the most anticipated novels of 2022， Asian American author Sequoia Nagamatsu’s How High We Go In The Dark hits the book shelves today。 I began this novel not knowing what to expect。 Part speculative-fiction/part sci-fi， this brilliant novel echoes the sentiments raised in a recent hit film on Netflix， Don’t Look Up。 Set in Happy Publication Day！ “what is laughter but a moment of release when pain and trauma are washed away？ When we laugh， we are stronger。 When we laugh， we heal the world” One of the most anticipated novels of 2022， Asian American author Sequoia Nagamatsu’s How High We Go In The Dark hits the book shelves today。 I began this novel not knowing what to expect。 Part speculative-fiction/part sci-fi， this brilliant novel echoes the sentiments raised in a recent hit film on Netflix， Don’t Look Up。 Set in 2030， Nagamatsu re-imagines a futuristic society when a grieving archaeologist arrives in the Arctic Circle to continue to work。 The virus， once unleashed， changes the world in myriad ways， and we meet haunting figures such as a cynical employee who falls in love with a mother clinging onto hope for his son， a scientist looking for cure to become a father， and so on。 Set in the Arctic， this novel explores the themes of grief， loss， climate change， and anthrocepene。 As a reader， I felt like I was transported into the world of shows like Black Mirror and The Martian。 At the core of Nagamatsu’s novel is the question of human nature and survival。 A must read！ 。。。more
Diletta
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Ridondante ed eccessivo， ma soprattutto: spesso non serve una specie aliena。 Diamo pure un po' di responsabilità agli umani。 Ridondante ed eccessivo， ma soprattutto: spesso non serve una specie aliena。 Diamo pure un po' di responsabilità agli umani。 。。。more
Lavender Threads
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Plague plotline。 Not now， I think， but later。
Melanie Sligh
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 “You’ve been my life for over 70 years。 A blip in my lifespan， but a gloriously memorable one none the less”Wow。Okay， here’s the thing。 This is about a deadly virus。 It’s a bit sci-fi， and the virus is not Covid， but。。 it’s a virus， that’s deadly。 Protocol， pandemic， vaccine， mandates， all of what we live now happens here just under a different name。 I saw the similarities， and honestly， if this would have came out in 2018， I would have just brushed past it。 But now that I am still living throug “You’ve been my life for over 70 years。 A blip in my lifespan， but a gloriously memorable one none the less”Wow。Okay， here’s the thing。 This is about a deadly virus。 It’s a bit sci-fi， and the virus is not Covid， but。。 it’s a virus， that’s deadly。 Protocol， pandemic， vaccine， mandates， all of what we live now happens here just under a different name。 I saw the similarities， and honestly， if this would have came out in 2018， I would have just brushed past it。 But now that I am still living through one， I felt seen？ I mean， this is like a Jurassic Park style virus to where they melted ice and found a girl who died from the virus。 But， it didn’t make me feel angry or anxious。 I felt， understood？ I love any and all movies and books where stories are separate， but somehow connect in the end。 The final “aha” of how someone is connected always gets me。 This was amazing。 I fell in love with every chapter， every story， and just wanted to know more and more。 There’s a theme park for terminally ill children。 They have an amazing last day and then go on this ride。。 and pass。 There’s a daughter returning to celebrate her grandmothers life as she has passed。 There’s a grandmother and granddaughter on a trek into space to find a new place to live。 You have a researcher who kind of falls in love with her next subject。 A scientist who experiments with pigs， has made Snortorious P。I。G。 be able to speak human speech。 The audio was phenomenal。 You have an entire full cast of amazing readers。 I thought I might get confused on all the different characters and their different stories， but， each chapter stuck with me。 I was so captivated by this cast of readers。In a world where life is so uncertain， I think the one thing that stood out to me is how death was treated as precious as life。 This book is going to stick with me for a long time。 Thank you so much @harperaudio for the gifted copy。 How High We Go in the Dark is out today， and will definitely be a top 2022 book of the year from me。 。。。more
Sandra Vdplaats
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Interconnected stories with a central theme of grief and loss， climate change and/or dealing with a pandemic。 I liked some stories better than others; I espcially loved the heartbreaking story about children 'riding the carroussel' [ 'we've got a runner！'] as a farewell ride - as a dark and sinister twist on 'Logan's Run。'Audible audiobook。 Interconnected stories with a central theme of grief and loss， climate change and/or dealing with a pandemic。 I liked some stories better than others; I espcially loved the heartbreaking story about children 'riding the carroussel' [ 'we've got a runner！'] as a farewell ride - as a dark and sinister twist on 'Logan's Run。'Audible audiobook。 。。。more
Maxwell Thomas
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I was quite eager to read this as it seemed right up my alley of interests and seemed like it would be an interesting story。 It started quite strong， moving forward in time with each chapter， and I found myself intrigued by most of what I was reading （and also disturbed at some of the events happening。） By the time I reached the halfway point in the novel I wanted to return to some of the initial stories and characters and found myself quickly losing interest。 I feel fairly ambivalent about this I was quite eager to read this as it seemed right up my alley of interests and seemed like it would be an interesting story。 It started quite strong， moving forward in time with each chapter， and I found myself intrigued by most of what I was reading （and also disturbed at some of the events happening。） By the time I reached the halfway point in the novel I wanted to return to some of the initial stories and characters and found myself quickly losing interest。 I feel fairly ambivalent about this one。 。。。more
Moirra Garcia
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Thank you so much to the wonderful publicist at William Morrow Books for sending me a copy to read， share， and review！。CW: Viruses， Pandemic， Plague， Death， Lots Of Talks About Death， Dying Children， Euthanasia Theme Park For Terminally Ill Children。How High We Go In The Dark is a Dystopian Science Fiction told in multi POV whose characters' stories span throughout different times and dimensions and is linked by a spread of a virus turned to a pandemic。 Humanity struggles to rebuild itself after Thank you so much to the wonderful publicist at William Morrow Books for sending me a copy to read， share， and review！。CW: Viruses， Pandemic， Plague， Death， Lots Of Talks About Death， Dying Children， Euthanasia Theme Park For Terminally Ill Children。How High We Go In The Dark is a Dystopian Science Fiction told in multi POV whose characters' stories span throughout different times and dimensions and is linked by a spread of a virus turned to a pandemic。 Humanity struggles to rebuild itself after the said plague that spans through generations， forcing them to devise ways to embrace hope and possibilities in the face of tragedy while dealing with death and loss。 With characters written in separate stories， all tie together on one string that make them have underlying similarities as humans navigating through changes and challenges。。I had a hard time processing the book to articulate what exactly made this a hard read for me。 It was a really heavy one at that， with all the talks of death being rampant in the book， it hits very close to home bringing me to a time where I would not want to go back to。。But the experience itself going into the book was ominous， lonely and suffocating at times but it also made sure that it could also be a breath of fresh air and new hope。。Personally， I wished I enjoyed this more than I did。 I thought I was ready to read something with themes hitting similarly to what we are facing now only to make it mentally challenging to me。 But nonetheless I totally get what the author is intending to say through this story。。Overall， I would recommend this book if you want something hopeful in these trying times but I would also want you to stir away from this if you are not ready for a story with themes surrounding viruses， pandemics， and deaths。 。。。more
Gigi
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Hi
Jennifer
，
The story begins in 2030 with a research crew in Siberia uncovering a young frozen girl in the ice。 While studying her remains the crew becomes infected and a virus is unleashed on the world。 The remainder of the book is told through a series of stories that are loosely connected by various characters as the plague runs its course。 Most of the stories focus on the people， their experiences of either surviving the plague or dealing with the complexities of grief and the death of those around them The story begins in 2030 with a research crew in Siberia uncovering a young frozen girl in the ice。 While studying her remains the crew becomes infected and a virus is unleashed on the world。 The remainder of the book is told through a series of stories that are loosely connected by various characters as the plague runs its course。 Most of the stories focus on the people， their experiences of either surviving the plague or dealing with the complexities of grief and the death of those around them。 A few are told farther into the future and feature some science fiction themes。 While this was certainly not a light read （the euthanasia theme park for young sick kids was a particularly tough read）， I did enjoy the creativeness of the stories， the tenacity of the human spirit aspects， and the way it sort of came full circle by the end。 I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sharon L
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I've been trying to figure out how to review this book for weeks and still haven't come up with the right words to describe this beautifully crafted， yet utterly gutting， near future dystopian novel。 Just thinking about the novel brings back swells of emotion and a sense of stillness， similar to just having a therapeutic cry。 The novel is built around a pandemic from a virus released after climate change has melted the permafrost， but it's not a book about the pandemic or climate change for that I've been trying to figure out how to review this book for weeks and still haven't come up with the right words to describe this beautifully crafted， yet utterly gutting， near future dystopian novel。 Just thinking about the novel brings back swells of emotion and a sense of stillness， similar to just having a therapeutic cry。 The novel is built around a pandemic from a virus released after climate change has melted the permafrost， but it's not a book about the pandemic or climate change for that matter， but about our reactions to the devastation of so much human loss。 Each section is like a short story but interrelated， one tumbling into another， similar to Cloud Cuckoo Land， but with more storylines。 A full cast of excellent narrators differentiates each storyline for the audiobook。 There are notions from this book， like a euthanasia amusement park for children， that will haunt me for a long time。This could he a huge book in 2022 if enough people have the courage to read it。 Thanks to NetGalley for an advance listening copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Paul Ataua
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The melting permafrost unleashes a virus on the world and we are presented with many very loosely linked stories about humanity adjusting to the disaster that take place in many different geographical locations and over several centuries。 It is very clever and I wanted to like it so much， but I felt the stories， while potentially great， too often failed to hit home。 On more than one occasion， I got a feeling about what they were trying to do and felt they might have done it better 。 Fairly good The melting permafrost unleashes a virus on the world and we are presented with many very loosely linked stories about humanity adjusting to the disaster that take place in many different geographical locations and over several centuries。 It is very clever and I wanted to like it so much， but I felt the stories， while potentially great， too often failed to hit home。 On more than one occasion， I got a feeling about what they were trying to do and felt they might have done it better 。 Fairly good read！ 。。。more
Kevin Thomas James Atteridg
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I was crying by the end of the second section， and continued to wholeheartedly marvel at all of the rest。
Thalia ♡
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DNF at 20%This is my first sci-fi book ever but it wasn’t a hit。
B。S。 Casey
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Nobody really knows what is lurking beneath them - not even Dr Cliff Miyashiro。 When he arrives at the Arctic Circle to continue the work of his late daughter， he finds that underneath the melting ice a virus is waiting to take hold of the world above。 The consequences spread further than anyone could have imagined - it doesn't just ravage through the continents， but throughout time as humanity try to fight this plague。 Whether a scientist， a comedian， a mother， a teenager or an astronaut， human Nobody really knows what is lurking beneath them - not even Dr Cliff Miyashiro。 When he arrives at the Arctic Circle to continue the work of his late daughter， he finds that underneath the melting ice a virus is waiting to take hold of the world above。 The consequences spread further than anyone could have imagined - it doesn't just ravage through the continents， but throughout time as humanity try to fight this plague。 Whether a scientist， a comedian， a mother， a teenager or an astronaut， humanity tries， fails and tries again to survive and thrive in the face of danger。 This beautifully moving collection of carefully interlaced short stories from across time and space manages to show thousands of years of life and death in a totally mesmerising way。 Nagamatsu creates an engrossing universe with euthanasia rollercoasters， unbelievable virtual reality and interstellar voyages juxtaposed with the sobering and very timely reality of living with a virus looming over the world at all times。 The writing is clear， simple， it doesn't describe or detail the characters or places but still invokes beauty and emotion throughout。 Each character is masterfully created to show the resilience and complexity of the human condition， keeping us just out of reach and isolating the reader while still creating a sense of kinship with each and every one。 Each characters story weaves into another in a rich tapestry that grows as each page turns and flows seamlessly despite the sheer force of this novel。 Make no mistake， this story takes you to the darkest depths of humanity but then reminds you to look up and realise how high we can really go， even in the darkI was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review。 CW: Euthanasia， death， pandemics， viruses， child death， terminal illness。 。。。more
Ashley （ashleysbookthoughts）
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