A review by anaiira
Suicide Club: A Novel about Living by Rachel Heng
3.0
If I were feeling generous, I would give this book the benefit of the doubt and acknowledge the underlying theme (the symbiotic relationship between mortality and a meaningful life). It's additionally interesting by positioning the philosophical question in a near and possibly likely future and has very much a Black Mirror sort of tone.
The novel feels hollow. Something feels missing, and I suspect the author knew this too. There is a lot of compensating for this hollowness with catty gossip about a futuristic social ladder predicated on genetics and longevity, some social commentary about the relationship between wealth and wellbeing, and a depraved, almost indulgent scenes of destruction.
If I had to guess, it really did feel like there was going to be a climax of utter and wanton destruction, but the pacing of the ending was off, so it missed the mark.
The novel feels hollow. Something feels missing, and I suspect the author knew this too. There is a lot of compensating for this hollowness with catty gossip about a futuristic social ladder predicated on genetics and longevity, some social commentary about the relationship between wealth and wellbeing, and a depraved, almost indulgent scenes of destruction.
If I had to guess, it really did feel like there was going to be a climax of utter and wanton destruction, but the pacing of the ending was off, so it missed the mark.