David Nickle, Eutopia
Jun. 6th, 2011 10:46 amWow. Okay. So did you know that you wanted to read a piece of historical science fiction/horror set in 1911 about eugenics and racism and religion narrated by a sheltered but perceptive white teen orphan and a snarky and resourceful black doctor? That is, did you know that you wanted to read a Lovecraft pastiche, except without the racism and floridity and with critical acknowledgment of said racism and entertaining writing? I think I sort of did, but not nearly as much as I discovered I actually did once I started reading Eutopia. This book was amazing. I actually read it all in a day/night, and didn't even mean to.
We actually stumbled on it in the Cherry Hill Barnes & Noble, or![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
relia did anyway -- she picked out a cover that featured a black-and-white photograph of a girl in a white dress, except that just the girl's eyes had been replaced with some kind of shiny glossy cover-paper: causing them to glint soullessly off the image. It's hard to describe and it doesn't come through on Amazon. It is the creepiest effect.
( As spoiler-avoidant as I can manage, but just in case )
The main warnings I would give this book are all number of trigger warnings: graphic violence, sexual assault, abuse, racism, classism, xenophobia, genocide, slavery, all that pretty stuff tucked under the rug of American history. It's all taken dead seriously, and is a bit uncomfortable on whole -- I wouldn't suggest reading if you have strong triggers on any of these things -- but if you can stomach I think the subject matter is worth it. Also worth mentioning is that while there are a host of important female characters, the two primary characters are by far the most relateable in the story, a consequence of which being that none of the women are quite as relateable as Andrew and Jason; this is true of the secondary male cast too, though, so I didn't have a problem with it. Your mileage may vary.
Now I'm gonna go and put that book cover face down.
We actually stumbled on it in the Cherry Hill Barnes & Noble, or
relia did anyway -- she picked out a cover that featured a black-and-white photograph of a girl in a white dress, except that just the girl's eyes had been replaced with some kind of shiny glossy cover-paper: causing them to glint soullessly off the image. It's hard to describe and it doesn't come through on Amazon. It is the creepiest effect.( As spoiler-avoidant as I can manage, but just in case )
The main warnings I would give this book are all number of trigger warnings: graphic violence, sexual assault, abuse, racism, classism, xenophobia, genocide, slavery, all that pretty stuff tucked under the rug of American history. It's all taken dead seriously, and is a bit uncomfortable on whole -- I wouldn't suggest reading if you have strong triggers on any of these things -- but if you can stomach I think the subject matter is worth it. Also worth mentioning is that while there are a host of important female characters, the two primary characters are by far the most relateable in the story, a consequence of which being that none of the women are quite as relateable as Andrew and Jason; this is true of the secondary male cast too, though, so I didn't have a problem with it. Your mileage may vary.
Now I'm gonna go and put that book cover face down.
