I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t know what is with this trend of giving vague blurbs for novels but it seems to be my weak spot! It’s probably because I love surprises so much … a book that doesn’t give me any clues is sure to surprise me! Anyways, here I go with my review:
In the midst of a mysterious environmental crisis, as London is submerged below flood waters, a woman gives birth to her first child, Z. Days later, the family are forced to leave their home in search of safety. As they move from place to place, shelter to shelter, their journey traces both fear and wonder as Z’s small fists grasp at the things he sees, as he grows and stretches, thriving and content against all the odds. This is a story of new motherhood in a terrifying setting: a familiar world made dangerous and unstable, its people forced to become refugees.
See, when I read this summary, I thought there would be more to it than what was mentioned. Something about the actual environmental situation or about the actual dangers of the new world. There is not. This is literally what the novel is about. To be fair, I don’t even know if this should be considered a novel because it was so short. Not only was it short, it didn’t have much substance. The story is told from the mother’s perspective and she uses the alphabet to name everyone (there is a character named N, and another one named R). I really didn’t like the whole alphabet naming thing because it always took me a minute to realize who she is talking about. I had absolutely no connection with any of the characters because you don’t really know much about anyone except for the protagonist … but there wasn’t much to her, either. The struggles that she went through didn’t really seem like struggles because they weren’t described very well. And while I like babies, I don’t like reading about their normal development. Barely anything happens in this book and the only reason I got through this novel was because of how short it was. I’m giving this a 1/5 stars.
Happy reading ~