A review by talonsontypewriters
The Membranes by Chi Ta-wei

mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Super fascinating setting and themes around bodily autonomy and privacy, intimacy, identity, and reality and perception. The writing style is a bit stilted and heavy on telling (Heinrich's translation of Last Words from Montmartre reads very differently, so I'm inclined to think this is also a quirk of the original); I think it generally suits the narrative but does make the twist come off a little overexplained. Heavier on philosophy than hard science, and definitely shows its age at certain points, neither of which I say as particular negatives -- overall, very interesting read.
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