A review by singinglib
Radio Dark by Shane Hinton

5.0

WOW. Wow. Wow. This is easily one of the best reads I've experienced in 2019 so far. Shane Hinton's sparse, atmospheric prose in this tightly packaged novel reminded me of slightly more extended versions of some of Kristen Roupenian and Carmen Maria Machado's short stories. He shares Roupenian and Machado's ability to conjure stealthy dystopia and define a sharp-edged line between reality and the dull insanity that lurks just beneath the universe his characters inhabit. I am so completely impressed by this novel. I found it reminiscent of two of my favorite books, as well: Stephen King's The Stand and Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven. There is something that I find so compelling about a well-written and disturbingly realistic post-apocalyptic novel, and Hinton delivers this, along with taut social commentary, with astounding ease.