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p_t_b's review
3.0
eternal s/o to the tuscaloosa public library for buying new weird-ish fiction
spooky, oblique riff on the dystopian novel. has two handfuls of killer descriptions. clean and dynamic and unexpectedly readable. deliberately flattened and sort of the novelistic equivalent of the international airbnb aesthetic (shellacked concrete) but you know its extra spooky because all the succulents are dead from dystopia. there's a hunger-games-y totalitarian gruesome violence thing laid out, but then ball does the unexpected and doesn't really use as plot fodder - instead its just something that heightens dread and you honeslty sort of half forget about the brutal rules of the unnamed city (which i would wager is part of his point -- that we already live in dystopia). felt a little obvious in places but i slurped it down in a day and am still reflecting on what it meant, so my life has been affected a little by this book and that is why i read books.
spooky, oblique riff on the dystopian novel. has two handfuls of killer descriptions. clean and dynamic and unexpectedly readable. deliberately flattened and sort of the novelistic equivalent of the international airbnb aesthetic (shellacked concrete) but you know its extra spooky because all the succulents are dead from dystopia. there's a hunger-games-y totalitarian gruesome violence thing laid out, but then ball does the unexpected and doesn't really use as plot fodder - instead its just something that heightens dread and you honeslty sort of half forget about the brutal rules of the unnamed city (which i would wager is part of his point -- that we already live in dystopia). felt a little obvious in places but i slurped it down in a day and am still reflecting on what it meant, so my life has been affected a little by this book and that is why i read books.
jaclyncrupi's review
4.0
Four set pieces frame Ball’s latest novel where he confronts our morality in a dystopian future where most animals are extinct and violence against immigrants is legal and without consequences. So who are we when we can inflict violence with impunity? Where does compassion live when existing notions of morality are extinguished? Ball asks the best questions in his fiction and I will read any book he chooses to write.
zellreads's review against another edition
2.0
Very allegorical, lots of metaphor for our world. I think the gas masks were an interesting choice, but not one that really worked for me. I liked the commentary on society, but I feel like the characters were used as devices rather than people, and would have preferred this book to be more of a character study rather than disjointed stories about people we aren't made to care about.
annettefunnycello's review against another edition
5.0
Extraordinary and important. Jesse Ball's genius lies in making the everyday a simulacrum for the absence of morality and conscience. The discomfort I felt in the first chapter had to do with wondering what I was reading, what time period, what form, what the characters were meant to represent, and eased during the transition through the divers' game (story within the story) to the other side. And because Jesse Ball is a brilliant writer, this was done swiftly, passing through the liminal space in the protection/form of a "novel". Some novel. It's an eyes-wide-open commentary on who we are and what we are, and what may become of us. Redemption is here, too, if we choose it.
kristianawithak's review against another edition
3.0
Ball’s succinct prose creates an entire world in a compact novel.
rosebudglow's review
3.0
Jesse Ball's books tend to be a bit hit-or-miss with me. Because Census is SO good, my bar is always way too high for each new one, and even when they're fine, they end up feeling disappointing. I think that's the case for this one. The social commentary was a bit flat and predictable (I would have loved literally just one thing which sets this world apart from generic authoritarian dystopia), and while the characters were distinct, none of them stuck with me. But I continue to love his style, so I can't really put him down as all that bad. Also, the little bits that make up the system, especially the schoolchildrens' games, hit the nail on the head. And oh boy, that last letter.
lizzyjean's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
This book was certainly written in an educated way, but the formatting made it hard to absorb the information given, especially in moments of dialogue. This book consists of a few stories that take place in the same universe/society, yet there seemed like such a disconnect from each story to the other. The stories never felt like they came to a conclusion before moving on to the next, and I was left wondering if/when I would be given a resolution, when none ever came. I do think the ideas behind the book were good ones, but I would’ve rather had a bit more in order to enjoy this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Rape