A review by bookwyrmknits
And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a bit of an odd story. It's set in a dystopian world where (it seems) the water has risen but also gotten contaminated, and lots of animals have mutated. (Though we see very little of that.) The main noticeable change is that society is even more money-focused than it is now, and the laws have changed so that only those with money get any kind of justice.
The main premise of a murdered courtesan coming back to life to take revenge on her murderer has probably been done before; in this particular case our narrator is not the dead girl herself, but one of her friends. The question of how she comes back to life is never answered, nor is it clear if or when she will ever die again. Instead, the focus of the story is what "morality" means in this society where money is literally everything, where those without money or jobs can be killed in a "cull" without any other reason at all.
While I liked the way this was told (a kind of blend of dialogue and almost stream-of-consciousness monologue) it took a little while for me to figure out much about the characters. I'm still not sure what most of them looked like... but that's okay. Other than some obvious parts—like one character who has wing implants, or the dead girl's skin being white and bloodless—it doesn't really matter what these characters look like.
This would probably not be a book for everyone; some people won't be able to get into the writing style, or will want more answers than this book provides. It's a neat story, however, and it's a nice change to see a narrator who isn't the brave hero but instead is someone who's just trying to find a way to get by.
The main premise of a murdered courtesan coming back to life to take revenge on her murderer has probably been done before; in this particular case our narrator is not the dead girl herself, but one of her friends. The question of how she comes back to life is never answered, nor is it clear if or when she will ever die again. Instead, the focus of the story is what "morality" means in this society where money is literally everything, where those without money or jobs can be killed in a "cull" without any other reason at all.
While I liked the way this was told (a kind of blend of dialogue and almost stream-of-consciousness monologue) it took a little while for me to figure out much about the characters. I'm still not sure what most of them looked like... but that's okay. Other than some obvious parts—like one character who has wing implants, or the dead girl's skin being white and bloodless—it doesn't really matter what these characters look like.
This would probably not be a book for everyone; some people won't be able to get into the writing style, or will want more answers than this book provides. It's a neat story, however, and it's a nice change to see a narrator who isn't the brave hero but instead is someone who's just trying to find a way to get by.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Physical abuse
Minor: Blood