A review by ka_cam
Meet Us by the Roaring Sea by Akil Kumarasamy

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this rumination on grief, porous boundaries between self and other, compassion and empathy, surveillance and morality, memory and history/narrative, art and AI. I thought the frequent second person narration really worked for me, especially to create the fluidity between the psyches/characters and reader(s)- making an immersive exploration of who are You and who are They, what is person/narrative/fiction and what happens when all those mix in new ways (via absorbing others memories) or old (translation, reading, and watching TV). I liked how dead narrators were brought in through their writings and recordings. I’d love to read this with a group, definitely a good candidate for re-reading. The style won’t be for everyone but it really did it for me with where I’m at rn. 
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