The Second Sleep, by Robert Harris: One million points for the concept and its relation to the title. A good deal fewer for execution, characterization, and resolution. I’m so into the idea here, but the plot dragged before fizzling out and some of the interactions felt very flat. For something similar in feel if not in much else, I would 1000% more highly recommend Doomsday Book by Connie Willis.
Scattered All Over the Earth, by Yoko Tawada: True to its title, this made me think of small bits rising and swirling, coming together and then separating again – not only the characters but the little moments of greatness and surprise. Many of those moments had to do with language, and I appreciated the book more for those than for the sum of its parts. There were a few characterizations that were baffling, and I will die on the hill that the word “anus” was used in translation where I’m certain “tailbone” would have been more accurate!
The Strange Case of Jane O, by Karen Thompson Walker: I really enjoyed this! The strange case is told from the perspective of Jane O’s psychoanalyst and from Jane’s perspective in letters to her baby son. An intriguing mystery box of a novel.
Come and Get It, by Kiley Reid: In the first half, it’s unclear what the story is going to be or if there will really be a plot. There isn’t much of one, but I will say that in spite of that this was enjoyable to read, with sharp observations of small moments and social and power structures. Unfortunately, the ending (after events finally started happening!) fizzled out where it could have benefited from lingering. Still – enjoyable.
Highway Thirteen, by Fiona MacFarlane: I really love Fiona MacFarlane. This linked collection of short stories – which I thoroughly misinterpreted as having been written in the years listed below their titles; the years are intended as the year in which each story is set – hangs from the throughline of an Australian serial killer responsible for at least 12 murders in the 1990s (based on a real case). Each works as a standalone piece, but they’re enhanced by their resonance with one another even though there are no repeated characters (other than the murderer, who is never the primary focus).
