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A review by anl2633
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
5.0
So, how fucking spoiled am I, then? How fucking broken? What is wrong with me that I can have everything I could ever want and have ever asked for and still wake up in the morning feeling like every day is a slog?
You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.
This novella was so nicely done. I love the simple yet impactful moments of world-building slipped in here. The sections about Dex's work as a tea monk were especially comforting to read. I found myself slipping into fluttery warmth at the beauty of that kind of selfless aid. I could picture myself having someone to tell my worries and anxieties to, a cup of tea brewed just for me cradled in my palms, and the opportunity to lounge amongst a nest of pillows with strings of lanterns overhead, suspended in time for a moment of peace. How beautiful, how wonderful, how frustrating not to have that in our world! This novella is so good at creating moments of pure atmosphere. It's a sci-fi utopian aesthetic dream.
It honestly gave me the same type of feeling as the game Stray does. Might just be because of the fact that both have very human-like robots in them. But it also has the same meandering through a changed society so far away into the future. Again, there's a certain atmosphere there that's hard to describe, but for me, they're similar enough that they are reminiscent of each other. So if you like this book, then try the game for that similar atmosphere and vice versa...
As far as philosophical musings go, I'm always a sucker for the message that life is beautiful because it ends and there's no purpose to it other than to experience it. Our society puts so much stock into wealth accumulation and success, leaving an indelible mark on the world for future generations to know you by, and always pushing for more success and more ways to prove your worth. We forget to actually do the living part.
I love the way this novella made me feel. It was simple and beautiful and poetic and just what I needed to feel.
You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.
This novella was so nicely done. I love the simple yet impactful moments of world-building slipped in here. The sections about Dex's work as a tea monk were especially comforting to read. I found myself slipping into fluttery warmth at the beauty of that kind of selfless aid. I could picture myself having someone to tell my worries and anxieties to, a cup of tea brewed just for me cradled in my palms, and the opportunity to lounge amongst a nest of pillows with strings of lanterns overhead, suspended in time for a moment of peace. How beautiful, how wonderful, how frustrating not to have that in our world! This novella is so good at creating moments of pure atmosphere. It's a sci-fi utopian aesthetic dream.
It honestly gave me the same type of feeling as the game Stray does. Might just be because of the fact that both have very human-like robots in them. But it also has the same meandering through a changed society so far away into the future. Again, there's a certain atmosphere there that's hard to describe, but for me, they're similar enough that they are reminiscent of each other. So if you like this book, then try the game for that similar atmosphere and vice versa...
As far as philosophical musings go, I'm always a sucker for the message that life is beautiful because it ends and there's no purpose to it other than to experience it. Our society puts so much stock into wealth accumulation and success, leaving an indelible mark on the world for future generations to know you by, and always pushing for more success and more ways to prove your worth. We forget to actually do the living part.
I love the way this novella made me feel. It was simple and beautiful and poetic and just what I needed to feel.