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literary_liv's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
mandi_lea's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sallytiffany's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I really enjoyed it. It was mysterious and intense. I loved how many medical references they did. All the characters in it were wonderful. It gave me major flashbacks to covid times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Child death, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Reactions to a pandemic are not completely unpredictable, but to have proof a year after you publish a book on it must be a weird sensation. I do understand the students wanting to break the quarantine because they have been given very little information and were handled poorly, but it happened so quick no one knew what was going on. Being unable to truly understand what the patients dreamed enhances the mystery and I love the idea that they are jumping timelines in their sleep. Every moment happens simultaneously and it could be interesting to explore that more. Imagine their deja vu once they woke up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Pregnancy
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
lilifane's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What the f*** did I just read?
This book centers around several characters during the outbreak of an infectious disease. It's a virus causing a sleeping sickness, but other than that, the parallels to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic are way too accurate.
All the denial. All the measures to contain the disease, too little too late. All the careless decisions, all the irrational behaviors, all the selfish acts. All the conspiracy theories and specific vocabulary. You'd think it was a book written during lockdown... only it was published in January 2019, a whole year before the pandemic started. I still can't wrap my head around it, how closely someone can predict so many little details in human behavior. (I wonder how many people who read this in 2019 thought they had a déjà vu.)
The writing is beautiful. For the most part, the sentences are short and simple, written in present tense. This way, you get immersed quickly and have the impression to be part of the events that are unfolding in front of your eyes. Which was brilliantly done in my opinion. On the other hand, there are passages of beautiful, whimsical descriptions and quotable sentences, too. It's a very atmospheric book with eerie, melancholic vibes.
There are quite a few characters the book follows and although you don't get to know all of them intimately, it is enough to get attached to them and root for their individual journeys. I actually got very emotional towards the end.
It's definitely not a book for people who like plot driven, action packed stories. Not much happens here. It's really more of a character study, and the ending might disappoint if you are waiting for a big twist or reveal or explanations. Instead, it raises some philosophical questions, which I personally liked. It fit the atmosphere of the story.
This book centers around several characters during the outbreak of an infectious disease. It's a virus causing a sleeping sickness, but other than that, the parallels to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic are way too accurate.
All the denial. All the measures to contain the disease, too little too late. All the careless decisions, all the irrational behaviors, all the selfish acts. All the conspiracy theories and specific vocabulary. You'd think it was a book written during lockdown... only it was published in January 2019, a whole year before the pandemic started. I still can't wrap my head around it, how closely someone can predict so many little details in human behavior. (I wonder how many people who read this in 2019 thought they had a déjà vu.)
The writing is beautiful. For the most part, the sentences are short and simple, written in present tense. This way, you get immersed quickly and have the impression to be part of the events that are unfolding in front of your eyes. Which was brilliantly done in my opinion. On the other hand, there are passages of beautiful, whimsical descriptions and quotable sentences, too. It's a very atmospheric book with eerie, melancholic vibes.
There are quite a few characters the book follows and although you don't get to know all of them intimately, it is enough to get attached to them and root for their individual journeys. I actually got very emotional towards the end.
It's definitely not a book for people who like plot driven, action packed stories. Not much happens here. It's really more of a character study, and the ending might disappoint if you are waiting for a big twist or reveal or explanations. Instead, it raises some philosophical questions, which I personally liked. It fit the atmosphere of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
birkenstonk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It’s crazy to think that this book was written and published before Covid. So much of it is scary similar. Now, I’m not talking about the disease, but instead the response, the reactions, and the atmosphere. What a heartbreaking book, with such beautiful writing. This was a very harrowing experience to read, especially after experiencing Covid for as long as we have. I believe this is a book I will return to over and over and over. It’s about finding joy; the past, present, and future; family; sacrifice; love; what ties humanity together. I could both go on forever and yet still feel like I don’t have the right words to say to describe my experience and thoughts during and after reading this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
stevie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
xx_coco's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, and Dementia