A review by iftheshoef1tz
Truth of the Divine by Lindsay Ellis

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.25

As promised, this book was very heavy. Neither Ampersand nor Cora were doing well, and it was incredibly bleak to read. But I found the politics at play super fascinating. Most of the First Contact media I’ve consumed has either been very anti-alien or ends before there’s any introspection or concern over how to categorize these creatures who are obviously intelligent but fundamentally non-human. I thought Enola was an incredible addition to the cast, both because he was an excellent and a bit unhinged foil to Ampersand and because he undermined the central problem laid out by Ampersand, namely that there were huge gaps in their understanding of each other and their respective cultures. 

Like many others, I was a bit bummed that there was no alien sex, but I did enjoy the confusion and worry of both Cora and Ampersand about having strange feelings for each other. I wasn’t wholly convinced of the romance between Kaveh and Cora, although I liked Kaveh as a character. He was warm and understanding of Cora. And the aliens in. A way no one else was. His essay at the end was wonderful - lyrical and thought-provoking and sad.

Quote:
I know that I’m not unique. I know that if I have the capability to make this mental leap, anyone does. […] If i am able to go from pure animal terror at this alien to seeing him as a friend in such a short amount of time, then as conscious humans, as intelligent beings, we are stronger than our natures.