rowena_wiseman's review against another edition
4.0
Steven Amsterdam's Things We Didn't See Coming was published by Sleepers Publishing in Melbourne in 2009. Shortly afterwards, it was added to the VCE English reading list for senior high school students, securing a captive audience, and hopefully opening the eyes of a number of students who otherwise may never have read a book like this.
Steven's road to publication is every wannabe author's dream. He had two short stories published in The Sleepers Almanac and the publisher actually asked him if he had anything else. Well, it turned out that he did, a collection of short stories, weaved together in a post-Y2K dystopia.
The book starts on Millennium Eve, when the unnamed main character is just a teenager. Each chapter jumps a number of years, allowing the novel to span decades in this boy's life. In the beginning, he is an innocent adolescent in the loving care of his parents and grandparents, but we watch as his world is turned upside down and he has to scavenge and outsmart others to survive.
It is a confident first novel, the character's voice is raw and engaging and his journey is gripping. Steven maintains the suspense throughout, and the main character continually finds himself in sticky situations where his morals are challenged. There are some scenes that would have some parents crying out to the purveyors of decency and good taste, but it is also rich with important issues surrounding the environment and health and the use of pharmaceutical drugs.
Steven's road to publication is every wannabe author's dream. He had two short stories published in The Sleepers Almanac and the publisher actually asked him if he had anything else. Well, it turned out that he did, a collection of short stories, weaved together in a post-Y2K dystopia.
The book starts on Millennium Eve, when the unnamed main character is just a teenager. Each chapter jumps a number of years, allowing the novel to span decades in this boy's life. In the beginning, he is an innocent adolescent in the loving care of his parents and grandparents, but we watch as his world is turned upside down and he has to scavenge and outsmart others to survive.
It is a confident first novel, the character's voice is raw and engaging and his journey is gripping. Steven maintains the suspense throughout, and the main character continually finds himself in sticky situations where his morals are challenged. There are some scenes that would have some parents crying out to the purveyors of decency and good taste, but it is also rich with important issues surrounding the environment and health and the use of pharmaceutical drugs.
cmorris2022's review against another edition
4.0
Not one of my favorite apocalyptic works but it shines a different light on the genre. This book is more closely related to the extremes of interpersonal relationships and the what if’s of the post millennium. Relationships change in times of strife and concern and fear. Well, at least the perception is they have an image ability to change.
Amsterdam gives us a totally different perspective of this ideal, largely stemming from what he does in his personal life when he’s not being a writer.
Amsterdam gives us a totally different perspective of this ideal, largely stemming from what he does in his personal life when he’s not being a writer.
isabellemay's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
tiggum's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Depressingly plausible. My reaction to the future Amsterdam imagines is "yeah, probably." I don't need fiction to tell me what a world of ever-worsening natural disasters and plagues would be like, I can just wait and see first-hand.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Classism, Death of parent, Dementia, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Terminal illness
Minor: Bullying, Medical content, and Homophobia
hkas's review against another edition
1.0
Edit: I re-rated it one star because 2 stars is honestly too high for this book.
The whole structure of this book annoys me. For the first half of the book, between each chapter is extremely confusing. It's impossible to know what is going on, until you reach the end and get a general picture. Also, the main character's name is never revealed, which annoyed me a lot. Personally I think this plot is better for a short film with no words, just visuals, to display a vision of the "future".
The whole structure of this book annoys me. For the first half of the book, between each chapter is extremely confusing. It's impossible to know what is going on, until you reach the end and get a general picture. Also, the main character's name is never revealed, which annoyed me a lot. Personally I think this plot is better for a short film with no words, just visuals, to display a vision of the "future".
elliebee54's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
theartolater's review against another edition
4.0
Post-apocalyptic short stories? YES PLEASE. They nearly all work, and they're consistently high quality even when they don't quite make the mark.
tnewton2011's review against another edition
1.0
This was a very confusing, non linear story... or should I say series of short stories about the same narrator that didn't really connect. None of them really came to a conclusion either, like several random chapters from a series of books about the same guy.
library_hungry's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know if this is a perfect book or deserves five stars, but I found it fascinating and I really, really enjoyed reading it. The world building was deft, and it creates such a clear idea of struggling to live in a world where the system still exists but no longer keeps you safe. Really liked this one.