settingshadow's review against another edition
5.0
My pre-read notes say "Apparently, it's all a surprise, but the author of the Girl with All the Gifts wrote a book NPR describes as '[a] supernatural fantasy [that] reads like a marriage between Stephen King and Charles De Lint, with a touch of Orange Is The New Black...'" And, yeah, that's basically it, with a few quibbles: I would describe this as Orange Is The New Black, with a touch of De Lint and Stephen King, rather than the other way around; and I think this book is really hurting itself with the "it's all a surprise" shtick.
Let's start with the un-spoiler-y parts: this is a good book. This is an important book. Those who turn their noses up at speculative fiction don't understand that at its finest it takes a simple question of "what-if" and uses that to deeply explore humanity, our existence and modern living in ways that "literary fiction" cannot. And that's what Carey did with this book: he took the biggest issues of the '10's -- for-profit prisons, the opiate crisis, human trafficking -- and added a tiny "what-if" to cast a new and thought-provoking light on them. And, I guess this is where I'll spoiler tag, although I encourage you to keep reading, because as previously mentioned, I think trying to guess the "mystery" impedes the reading of Fellside.
What I liked the least about Fellside was the ridiculous commitment to mystery. It was abundantly clear to me from the beginning that the ghost wasn't Alex, but was Nasreen and to have the narration pretending otherwise was distracting. In addition, I felt like letting the reader in on that secret would help give insight into Jess' state of mind and the lies that we tell ourselves to try to heal ourselves.
Overall, I could easily see this book ending up in a high school English class curriculum, exploring the interplay of speculative fiction and contemporary events. (I kind of want to write that five paragraph essay now.)
Let's start with the un-spoiler-y parts: this is a good book. This is an important book. Those who turn their noses up at speculative fiction don't understand that at its finest it takes a simple question of "what-if" and uses that to deeply explore humanity, our existence and modern living in ways that "literary fiction" cannot. And that's what Carey did with this book: he took the biggest issues of the '10's -- for-profit prisons, the opiate crisis, human trafficking -- and added a tiny "what-if" to cast a new and thought-provoking light on them. And, I guess this is where I'll spoiler tag, although I encourage you to keep reading, because as previously mentioned, I think trying to guess the "mystery" impedes the reading of Fellside.
Spoiler
The what-if is this: what if the protagonist can see a ghost. That's it, not that there are ghosts, or lots of people can see ghosts. One little trait of one main character that really shifts the entire narrative. Through the ghost, who Jess originally thinks is her victim, but who turns out to be Nasreen, a former inmate, Carey gets the chance to say a lot about what it means to be a criminal and what it means to be a hero. One of the core themes of the book is exploring the myth of a "lost-cause" and how by fighting for this ghost, Jess becomes a champion and, in turn, inspires other characters who have given up on themselves. Carey also has a lot to say here about how our current incarceration system inevitably causes recidivism by presenting impossible dilemmas of continued criminality versus victimhood.What I liked the least about Fellside was the ridiculous commitment to mystery. It was abundantly clear to me from the beginning that the ghost wasn't Alex, but was Nasreen and to have the narration pretending otherwise was distracting. In addition, I felt like letting the reader in on that secret would help give insight into Jess' state of mind and the lies that we tell ourselves to try to heal ourselves.
Overall, I could easily see this book ending up in a high school English class curriculum, exploring the interplay of speculative fiction and contemporary events. (I kind of want to write that five paragraph essay now.)
bessie's review against another edition
2.0
1.2? Rounded up to a 2? I dunno. I tend to reserve 1's for books that are so awful I just rant endlessly about them. This book was ~fine~. It was a book. With some semblance of a plot and character and a beginning-middle-end. But it was also sooooo dull. Nothing happened for the longest time and there was the slowest character development ever. I think 1. It could have been a much shorter book. and 2. it should have been two different books. It felt like he had 2 different book ideas and he just forced them into one book together.
squishies's review against another edition
4.0
It's interesting, from other people's reviews it seemed that their interest petered out as the book progressed, whereas mine just increased and almost finishing it in one sitting. It's quite possible that it's one of those books that you have to be in a certain mindset for.
The book does kind of drift along with no discernible urgency, but the drifting allowed me to soak up the mess that was Jess, the inmates of Fellside, and the staff of Fellside. It felt like the book was more what the characters were about than what was going to happen - and I loved it.
The characters Carey drew up and filled in were so fascinating to read and envision.
The book does kind of drift along with no discernible urgency, but the drifting allowed me to soak up the mess that was Jess, the inmates of Fellside, and the staff of Fellside. It felt like the book was more what the characters were about than what was going to happen - and I loved it.
The characters Carey drew up and filled in were so fascinating to read and envision.
Spoiler
While I wished Jess survived the riot, I'm glad she didn't - the story definitely had more impact with her death and everything that happened afterwards.kbfrantom's review against another edition
3.0
This would be a good book for anyone who likes Orange Is The New Black.
marny_backtooth's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
If you watch any procedural shows or have read any other books featuring ghosts, this book is predictable. Very airport book - not bad, not good, just passing time
chylu's review against another edition
3.0
One of my favorite authors recommends this book so I had to give it a try, not having read Carey's other work, and I must say that it started out really well. I read several chapters the first night I picked it up and didn't want to go to sleep because I couldn't put it down! The writing style is fantastic (though I think it's best as the book starts out).
However, as the story progressed, it became clear to me that I really didn't care deeply about *any* of the characters. I was curious to find out what would happen to Jess, the protagonist, and I rooted for her at times but I didn't really like her, and found the rest of the characters highly unlikeable. This was the main reason I lost interest and crawled through the rest of the book.
I just read the first few pages on a preview before buying it -- I didn't even read the blurb, or any reviews, which is my own fault because if I'd known this was set in a prison, I wouldn't have bought it. There are some amazing prison stories out there but by and large, I'm not a huge fan of the setting for books.
Again, Carey's writing *style* is wonderful. But the story wasn't the kind I really want to think about after it ends, I'm afraid (and to be honest at times, I didn't want to think about it while I was READING it), and I felt like I saw the "big reveals" coming about a quarter into the book, so this didn't really do it for me.
However, as the story progressed, it became clear to me that I really didn't care deeply about *any* of the characters. I was curious to find out what would happen to Jess, the protagonist, and I rooted for her at times but I didn't really like her, and found the rest of the characters highly unlikeable. This was the main reason I lost interest and crawled through the rest of the book.
I just read the first few pages on a preview before buying it -- I didn't even read the blurb, or any reviews, which is my own fault because if I'd known this was set in a prison, I wouldn't have bought it. There are some amazing prison stories out there but by and large, I'm not a huge fan of the setting for books.
Again, Carey's writing *style* is wonderful. But the story wasn't the kind I really want to think about after it ends, I'm afraid (and to be honest at times, I didn't want to think about it while I was READING it), and I felt like I saw the "big reveals" coming about a quarter into the book, so this didn't really do it for me.
reading_rainy's review against another edition
3.0
I was so excited to start this book!!!! About half way through, I realized my expectations were just too high.
lucy_t_firefly's review against another edition
3.0
Possibly 3.5.
I'm conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I did enjoy it and I powered through it fairly quickly; it did make me want to keep reading.
But on the other, I wouldn't really say there was anything special that stood out to me about this book; I thought it was just a bit uninspiring plot-wise and fell short of the praise printed all over the cover.
For a start, I think it could have been shorter. It was no tome, but there were definitely some filler bits and unnecessary explanation - especially at the end.
Also, the 'twist'. I liked the idea of the twist itself and what actually happened, but I had worked it out before I was even half way in. And it just went on. Jess, the main character, infuriated me with how stupid she was and not seeing what was right in front of her face until about 20 pages from the end. I defy anyone to not see it coming after all the repeated mentions and shoehorned comments.
Overall, it was something a bit different to your standard ghost story/prison drama and I'm glad I picked it up, but I don't think it will stick with me.
I'm conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I did enjoy it and I powered through it fairly quickly; it did make me want to keep reading.
But on the other, I wouldn't really say there was anything special that stood out to me about this book; I thought it was just a bit uninspiring plot-wise and fell short of the praise printed all over the cover.
For a start, I think it could have been shorter. It was no tome, but there were definitely some filler bits and unnecessary explanation - especially at the end.
Also, the 'twist'. I liked the idea of the twist itself and what actually happened, but I had worked it out before I was even half way in. And it just went on. Jess, the main character, infuriated me with how stupid she was and not seeing what was right in front of her face until about 20 pages from the end. I defy anyone to not see it coming after all the repeated mentions and shoehorned comments.
Overall, it was something a bit different to your standard ghost story/prison drama and I'm glad I picked it up, but I don't think it will stick with me.
ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good read. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on, for quite a large part of the book, but that added to the stressful atmosphere, and the need to know and understand what had happened, and how everything would be resolved. There were some good characters, really quite violent action in places, and it felt like a sci-fi, fantasy, crime, mystery all rolled into one. I think that Girl with All the Gifts was better, but this was still a very good book. With thanks to Net Galley for the advanced read.
kchessrice's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't enjoy this as much as The Girl With All The Gifts - found it took ages to get going and it wasn't as gripping or terrifying as the front cover implied! Interesting concept but not one I would recommend.