A review by oofsharkz73
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Don't judge a book by it's genre, I say, as I begrudgingly open to the first pages of this dreaded sci-fi novel...

"'Why do you need to go to Baby?' asked Theo, but Aster was already well into a dream, images divided between memories of the past day and the world of her mind's own making...
'I'm chasing my mother's ghost,' Aster whispered..."

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon took me by surprise as it totally immersed me in the story of Aster's life. Aster, a scientist and healer on the spaceship known as Matilda, is unravelling the mystery behind her mother's suicide. Through her eyes, we see also the struggles of scrutinization and abuse those with darker skin endure in this society, and we see Aster struggle even more as to even her peers, her behaviors are queer and unorthodox. Though set in a dystopian, futuristic world, this novel offers much more than typical sci-fi, delving deeply into human emotion, social issues, and identity with raw power. Even for readers who don’t usually gravitate toward science fiction like myself, the rich characters and thought-provoking themes make this an unforgettable, emotionally intense experience. 

"That's what ghosts really are, Aint Melusine had said, the past refusing to be forgot. She'd been helping Aster scrub down X deck with ammonia and bleach, a failed attempt to rub out the
stink of what had happened there. Ghosts is smells, stains, scars. Everything is ruins. Everything is a clue. It wants you to know its story. Ancestors are everywhere if you are looking."

"A scientist, Aster had learned something Giselle had not: decoding the past was like decoding the physical world. The best that could be hoped for was a working model. A reasonable approximation. That was to say, no matter what Aster learned of Lune, there was no piecing together the full mystery of her life. There was no hearing her laugh or feeling her embrace. A ghost is not a person."

As we read about the anomaly that is Aster and her life on Matilda, we see writing that is so lyrical in it's social commentary. The visionary is often disquieting, with Aster's uncompromising attitude against a bleak future if her and her peers aren't to do something, if they don't incite a revolution. 
Aster knows what their fate is if she herself doesn't fight back against the harsh and challenging norms to discover the grim secrets behind her mother's death and the cruel realities of the Sovereign's intentions. 

"That was how she understood hope, nothing to get too invested in."

In this multi-layered novel by Rivers Solomon, we see something so intricately human. We see passion and violence. I could not stop reading, nor could I shut my mouth from yapping on to anyone who would listen about it. An Unkindness of Ghosts is a grandiose reading experience; as I turned the last page I found myself half-crazed and hell-bent as I scoured for some sort of sequel, only to be disappointed with Solomon wanting it to be a standalone.