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A review by luberseed
Trinity Sight by Jennifer Givhan
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I was so intrigued by the premise and description of this book, and was hoping for a good post-apocalyptic/magical realism tale with Indigenous influence.
But holy cow this was a slog. I barely made it through, mostly due to the fact that the main character, Calliope, was so flat and infuriating.
Imagine that you’re thrust into some improbable dream world in which monsters roam about, most humans have disappeared, and you see visions of your dead relatives. Sort of like the “upside down” if you’ve watched Stranger Things. How long would you deny that things right in front of your eyes were happening? How long would you endanger other people who are with you by saying “nope, that’s not real” while you all run for your lives? Well if you’re Calliope, it’s most of the book. At many points I was hoping she’d die, and another character would take over- it’s that tedious. And unfortunately, her’s is the only inner world you get, everyone else is a collection of broad strokes and cliches, existing mostly for Calliope to rule over how credible she personally finds their needs and feelings. It was just wild.
There were so many good ideas here, but it felt like the story could have benefited from a strong editor to shape it, and character development that suggests knowledge of real human beings. Bonus points for the wildly out of place and tonally weird explicit sex scene near the end!
But holy cow this was a slog. I barely made it through, mostly due to the fact that the main character, Calliope, was so flat and infuriating.
Imagine that you’re thrust into some improbable dream world in which monsters roam about, most humans have disappeared, and you see visions of your dead relatives. Sort of like the “upside down” if you’ve watched Stranger Things. How long would you deny that things right in front of your eyes were happening? How long would you endanger other people who are with you by saying “nope, that’s not real” while you all run for your lives? Well if you’re Calliope, it’s most of the book. At many points I was hoping she’d die, and another character would take over- it’s that tedious. And unfortunately, her’s is the only inner world you get, everyone else is a collection of broad strokes and cliches, existing mostly for Calliope to rule over how credible she personally finds their needs and feelings. It was just wild.
There were so many good ideas here, but it felt like the story could have benefited from a strong editor to shape it, and character development that suggests knowledge of real human beings. Bonus points for the wildly out of place and tonally weird explicit sex scene near the end!