Scan barcode
A review by dbuoih
Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
unsure why the spoiler formatting is so bad, avoid if you haven't read it. sorry
It often filled me with such an intense, visceral, fear where all I could do was look away from the words I was reading. A powerhouse of a novel. It's a beautiful example of why I read. A "fantasy" for people who hate fantasy. Though I prefer the descriptor "weird fiction" for this. The review below is mainly so I can keep score of what the fuck Vandermeer was describing as I revisit it. It jumps all over the place.
Vandermeer’s fluid descriptions of Borne's apocalyptic landscape is expansive and at times, confusing, but in all the right ways. Mord’s description can be understood, and the gore associated with his existence is violent and acceptable? However, Borne’s description is a bit harder to comprehend but I initially visualized it as a purple sea cucumber with an undulating body. Later, while reflecting about Borne's appearance, Rachel notes that Borne may have appeared differently to anyone else, an interesting statement I kept in mind moving into the story and on reflection.
I say that Mord's destruction is "acceptable" because when Rachel describes her first time seeing Mord, it made me realize something about Borne’s worldbuilding. The very universe of Borne raises so many questions; that I don’t feel I need the answers. I don’t feel confused to the point of being lost, I don’t even desire to know the origins of Mord or the motivations behind the Company. I just want to keep reading; to continue having this odd, Dali-esque world described to me, so I can have the purest mental image of it. To imagine an unimaginable universe; one that shapes shifts as it's read. It is as if Vandermeer doesn’t make any attempt to explain the political details, he just assumes you will agree with the universe’s basic conditions and characters, then move on. That is my take on it anyway, and why Mord, a gigantic biological abomination; was generally easy for me to accept in this novel. Among other things, Mord's existence was one the easiest things to comprehend, relatively.
Though vaguely described, Rachel’s assault from the bio-tech children was painful to read because of Vandermeer’s descriptive words and imagery. In this instance, Vandermeer chooses to describe feelings rather than images in order to evoke emotion, at least I think. After this, Rachel references “the city” as one entity, trying to kill her if it could. It's as if every being in the city operates by the city’s wishes; one singular entity made to destroy Rachel and Wick. This is a really disturbing, but fitting attitude that is summed up in the following quote:
It often filled me with such an intense, visceral, fear where all I could do was look away from the words I was reading. A powerhouse of a novel. It's a beautiful example of why I read. A "fantasy" for people who hate fantasy. Though I prefer the descriptor "weird fiction" for this. The review below is mainly so I can keep score of what the fuck Vandermeer was describing as I revisit it. It jumps all over the place.
I say that Mord's destruction is "acceptable" because when Rachel describes her first time seeing Mord, it made me realize something about Borne’s worldbuilding. The very universe of Borne raises so many questions; that I don’t feel I need the answers. I don’t feel confused to the point of being lost, I don’t even desire to know the origins of Mord or the motivations behind the Company. I just want to keep reading; to continue having this odd, Dali-esque world described to me, so I can have the purest mental image of it. To imagine an unimaginable universe; one that shapes shifts as it's read. It is as if Vandermeer doesn’t make any attempt to explain the political details, he just assumes you will agree with the universe’s basic conditions and characters, then move on. That is my take on it anyway, and why Mord, a gigantic biological abomination; was generally easy for me to accept in this novel. Among other things, Mord's existence was one the easiest things to comprehend, relatively.
Though vaguely described, Rachel’s assault from the bio-tech children was painful to read because of Vandermeer’s descriptive words and imagery. In this instance, Vandermeer chooses to describe feelings rather than images in order to evoke emotion, at least I think. After this, Rachel references “the city” as one entity, trying to kill her if it could. It's as if every being in the city operates by the city’s wishes; one singular entity made to destroy Rachel and Wick. This is a really disturbing, but fitting attitude that is summed up in the following quote:
"The city had visited me, to remind me that I meant less than nothing to it, that even the Balcony Cliffs wasn’t safe. That every wire in my head connected to our defenses could be snapped, just like that."
Rachel's character is revealed to have a complicated past at the end of the novel. And I can say that it didn't make a difference to how I viewed her as a character. Rachel felt like a vessel to deliver Borne's story, but not to a detriment. Rachel and Wick, individually and together, were complex. Rachel clearly has a mother-like attachment to Borne that Wick refuses to recognize. Their relationship is oddly loving, especially with the end reveal, and it is complicated. But what else would they have in this hellish landscape if not each other? More so, Rachel delivered descriptions about the outside world aptly, and her descriptions assisted with the general atmosphere; building the thick tension of the novel.
And then Rachel completely dissociates in the third arc of the novel and begins to refer to herself as "the ghost". Admittedly, it was a little hard to keep up at this point but I could not help but to feel a heavy dread for her fate.
I experienced great mental stress reading Borne's dialogue in the voice of HAL 9000. Therefore everything Borne said was already creepy, but in my head, it was met with a robotic, but child-like cadence that I couldn't shake. Borne's acquisition of language was distantly similar to Frankenstein's monster's acquisition of language while in his hovel, however the process in which Borne absorbs knowledge is more barbaric. This aspect of Borne, his unrelenting intelligence, was his most alarming characteristic. It's fitting that in the end, he was reduced to a house plant that could not speak.
Borne says this about a dream he had when prompted by Rachel, this followed a conversation about dreaming, religion, and death. I feel this is where he began to achieve full sentience,
And then Rachel completely dissociates in the third arc of the novel and begins to refer to herself as "the ghost". Admittedly, it was a little hard to keep up at this point but I could not help but to feel a heavy dread for her fate.
I experienced great mental stress reading Borne's dialogue in the voice of HAL 9000. Therefore everything Borne said was already creepy, but in my head, it was met with a robotic, but child-like cadence that I couldn't shake. Borne's acquisition of language was distantly similar to Frankenstein's monster's acquisition of language while in his hovel, however the process in which Borne absorbs knowledge is more barbaric. This aspect of Borne, his unrelenting intelligence, was his most alarming characteristic. It's fitting that in the end, he was reduced to a house plant that could not speak.
Borne says this about a dream he had when prompted by Rachel, this followed a conversation about dreaming, religion, and death. I feel this is where he began to achieve full sentience,
"Because I am dead, I do not know what is on the other side of the door."
We almost begin to trust Borne as he grows into a "teenager", but then his true nature is revealed when he is caught mimicking Rachel’s appearance. This revelation gave me chills and I had to look away from the book. I was physically repulsed when he spoke while mimicking Rachel. Good fucking job Vandermeer.
This incident then called back to when Borne said he "talks to Wick." He meant he spoke with Wick as Rachel. And when Wick speaks with Rachel, was it always really Wick? Due to the time spent with the relationship between Borne and Rachel, the distrust felt within and out the text was earth shattering. Borne later wrestles with his existence (vaguely like Frankenstein's monster) and what he's meant to do. He doesn't want to abandon Rachel and disappoint her. But later, in the field, before he fights Mord, he admits that this is his existence. It's kind of an odd commentary, really. An odd commentary that I cannot really even articulate, just perceive. It was strange, because Borne's existence is strange. But it also felt right and justified.
My only complaint would be a better establishment of the Magician character. I believe the time spent at the end of the book, explaining Rachel's past and such, is not rushed and nicely paced. However, the Magician's placement in it all is muddled. Probably up to another read although I've read it 3 times now and this character is only 20% clearer.
This incident then called back to when Borne said he "talks to Wick." He meant he spoke with Wick as Rachel. And when Wick speaks with Rachel, was it always really Wick? Due to the time spent with the relationship between Borne and Rachel, the distrust felt within and out the text was earth shattering. Borne later wrestles with his existence (vaguely like Frankenstein's monster) and what he's meant to do. He doesn't want to abandon Rachel and disappoint her. But later, in the field, before he fights Mord, he admits that this is his existence. It's kind of an odd commentary, really. An odd commentary that I cannot really even articulate, just perceive. It was strange, because Borne's existence is strange. But it also felt right and justified.
My only complaint would be a better establishment of the Magician character. I believe the time spent at the end of the book, explaining Rachel's past and such, is not rushed and nicely paced. However, the Magician's placement in it all is muddled. Probably up to another read although I've read it 3 times now and this character is only 20% clearer.
"To him, on some level I’d never understand...in the end we stood on opposite sides of a vast gulf of incomprehension. Because what was a human being without death?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Cannibalism