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A review by jettiedabs
Nod by Adrian Barnes
5.0
The power of words and the power of sleep. Two things underestimated by many, but coveted by the wise, are explored in this incredible novel.
I am not one for sci-fi so I was hesitant about a novel shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke award, but this real-world-with-a-twist setup is very comfortable for me and I enjoyed the humanity, banality and sardonism of our world glinting through the plot.
What some might see as a jaded world view (and by others as dogged 'sense') is upheld by our narrator Paul, who for all his pragmatism about the human race is fond of grandstanding his intelligence and grasp of language to condemn his peers - with little care for the irony of the situation. This makes for a gripping perspective as the world we know unravels and Nod takes over, stripping away the things held dear as well as the neglected, the scorned, the uncomfortable, until all that is left is survival - and Paul's instinct to journal his way through the evolving nightmare he now calls life.
Love and pain and hope and despair and values and duty are all just sides of the human soul's shape. I can't think of anywhere I have seen this presented more terribly than here, and that is to its credit.
I heartily recommend Nod for those with the constitution for tales of despair and introspection. This story made me say some form of 'wow' out loud, twice, and I am not a wower. I am very glad to have encountered this.
I am not one for sci-fi so I was hesitant about a novel shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke award, but this real-world-with-a-twist setup is very comfortable for me and I enjoyed the humanity, banality and sardonism of our world glinting through the plot.
What some might see as a jaded world view (and by others as dogged 'sense') is upheld by our narrator Paul, who for all his pragmatism about the human race is fond of grandstanding his intelligence and grasp of language to condemn his peers - with little care for the irony of the situation. This makes for a gripping perspective as the world we know unravels and Nod takes over, stripping away the things held dear as well as the neglected, the scorned, the uncomfortable, until all that is left is survival - and Paul's instinct to journal his way through the evolving nightmare he now calls life.
Love and pain and hope and despair and values and duty are all just sides of the human soul's shape. I can't think of anywhere I have seen this presented more terribly than here, and that is to its credit.
I heartily recommend Nod for those with the constitution for tales of despair and introspection. This story made me say some form of 'wow' out loud, twice, and I am not a wower. I am very glad to have encountered this.