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A review by katiedoodle
Truth of the Divine by Lindsay Ellis
4.0
I have often complained that science fiction tends to sacrifice the emotional journeys of individual characters in favor of a broader exploration of society. In this series, both are critical to the plot, and in my opinion, that is as it should be. Let us understand how individual experiences influence society-level changes. Let us explore how culture informs individual reactions and decisions. This story does this to great effect by introducing multiple perspectives of extraterrestrial visitors, showing not only how their civilization would view humanity, but also how different members of their civilization contrast in personal opinions of the same. Similarly, both individual and group dynamics of humanity are explored in their reactions to alien life and how to classify non-human intelligence.
Though I praise this balance, I will say that this novel spent a significant amount of time focusing on trauma and mental health struggles. This is realistic and contextually appropriate given the events of the story, but it meant large portions of the story were not particularly enjoyable. As an arc of characterization, it was important, but it did slow my progress somewhat because it was depressing. I also found that Cora's character felt significantly meeker and less competent when viewed through Kaveh's eyes, but made strong decisions with agency when reading her perspective. Certainly this is not unrealistic; everyone looks different to themselves than to others. But it was hard to see Cora as anything other than overwhelmingly passive to a point of frustration during Kaveh's points of view.
A central topic of this story is one of my favorites: that of personhood as distinct from humanity. What makes someone a "person?" By what metric should an individual qualify for "human" rights? Perhaps this is why it does such an excellent job of balancing the macro and micro elements of society. We must connect with individuals on a personal level to really understand their "personhood," and we must examine the community as a whole to see what this classification would mean for the world.
Though I praise this balance, I will say that this novel spent a significant amount of time focusing on trauma and mental health struggles. This is realistic and contextually appropriate given the events of the story, but it meant large portions of the story were not particularly enjoyable. As an arc of characterization, it was important, but it did slow my progress somewhat because it was depressing. I also found that Cora's character felt significantly meeker and less competent when viewed through Kaveh's eyes, but made strong decisions with agency when reading her perspective. Certainly this is not unrealistic; everyone looks different to themselves than to others. But it was hard to see Cora as anything other than overwhelmingly passive to a point of frustration during Kaveh's points of view.
A central topic of this story is one of my favorites: that of personhood as distinct from humanity. What makes someone a "person?" By what metric should an individual qualify for "human" rights? Perhaps this is why it does such an excellent job of balancing the macro and micro elements of society. We must connect with individuals on a personal level to really understand their "personhood," and we must examine the community as a whole to see what this classification would mean for the world.