Scan barcode
A review by danni_faith
Radio Dark by Shane Hinton
2.0
This novella has a lot going on—a disease of unknown origin and cause, a zealous pastor, a radio tower made of catatonic bodies, packs of savage dogs, torrential rains, and yet that is not where the weakness of the story lies. In the Art of the Novel, E.M. Forest praises the novel for its singular ability to reveal the secrets of one's mind, access denied to us otherwise by virtue of not living in the head of another. So I am always perplexed when an author denies access to the thoughts of characters. Hinton gives us the story through close third-person POV of Memphis. I am not sure why as neither his personality nor actions provides an invaluable viewpoint of the apocalypse. Cincinnati and the DJ were much more compelling characters. Additionally, their skills were quite beneficial in this doomsday scenario. I wanted more from them—espcially Cincinnati whose attraction to Memphis was baffling and adds to the ever-growing list of underdeveloped female characters whose only use is as a prop for the male protagonist.
The weird elements create a cohesion that works against it. I understand the novel is weird, which I quite enjoyed. However, all of the elements had the same dimension. Nothing receded into the background or moved to the foreground. Everything got equal emphasis. There were a lot of biblical references (Tower of Babel, floods, plagues of Egypt, End Time prophesy) but none of it was engaged. It felt simply like a distortion of the Bible for the sake of it. There were exactly zero discussions about why this was occurring or how any felt about the new reality, so the novel was not exploring the endurance of the human spirit in the face of catastrophic ruination. The relationship between Memphis and Cincinnati also lacked lowlights and highlights; it simply was. This novel does not take a stance on anything and lacks the peaks and valleys necessary to show readers what it is that's important.
Hinton had a handful of very great lines. In places the prose revealed his ability to capture devastation and its numbing effect with keen sensitivity. But those parts could not save the novella from its blandness.
The weird elements create a cohesion that works against it. I understand the novel is weird, which I quite enjoyed. However, all of the elements had the same dimension. Nothing receded into the background or moved to the foreground. Everything got equal emphasis. There were a lot of biblical references (Tower of Babel, floods, plagues of Egypt, End Time prophesy) but none of it was engaged. It felt simply like a distortion of the Bible for the sake of it. There were exactly zero discussions about why this was occurring or how any felt about the new reality, so the novel was not exploring the endurance of the human spirit in the face of catastrophic ruination. The relationship between Memphis and Cincinnati also lacked lowlights and highlights; it simply was. This novel does not take a stance on anything and lacks the peaks and valleys necessary to show readers what it is that's important.
Hinton had a handful of very great lines. In places the prose revealed his ability to capture devastation and its numbing effect with keen sensitivity. But those parts could not save the novella from its blandness.