This book had a lot of the elements that I enjoy while reading fiction. It is set in a weird, not quite real world that is sort of an alternate reality of our own. It is full of mysterious characters as seen through the eyes of a girl growing up out of her mother’s shadow. It also had elements of lost civilization, and things falling apart due to neglect.
But despite all of this somehow the book didn’t sit well with me. The story itself was fine, although the ending didn’t quite bring the resolution I was looking for. The book derives much of its plot from the poor communication between the mother and the daughter – if they were more open with their experiences much of the tension of drama would have been avoided, and perhaps they would have lived life a lot easier.
I did like the insights into the life of immigrants, which is tucked into the backgrounds of characters and comes out occasionally.
I guess with all this setup and fictional world that was created I was hoping for it to take a darker turn. There could have been some spooky twists and hidden underworlds and real danger – but most of this world is just falling apart with the people around doing nothing to stop it. Maybe some active evil would have brought the stakes higher?
Next I am reading Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad.
