There are a lot of different things going on in this book. It's a coming-of-age novel. As part of that, it traces Rustle's relationships with two veryThere are a lot of different things going on in this book. It's a coming-of-age novel. As part of that, it traces Rustle's relationships with two very different young women -- libertine, manipulative Katrina and smart, detatched Marie. It shows neurodivergent Rustle trying to figure out how to manage himself around 'typs' (genotypical people who, among other things, don't share his synesthesia). It's SFF that speculates about a world where pre-birth genetic screening is the norm and rights depend on being genotypical and a wide range of recreational drugs are easily available. And it's a thriller that traces the shifting alliances as terrorists and activists try to broaden access to social services for non-typs.
(Disclaimer: I know Clara well irl. I've done my best to be objective in my review.)
What worked for me:
I enjoyed reading about the ways Rustle experienced the world with his associations of color, scent, etc. I'm not synesthetic and don't know whether it's an account of that experience (and for that matter Rustle is uncertain whether he's a 'true' synesthetic, or it's merely that his upbringing in a synesthetic community has led him to generate these associations). As a neurodivergent person navigating the world, I could relate to his uncertainty about how his words and actions would be perceived by 'typs'.
I also found the thriller plot, with its twists and turns, compelling, and the book became can't-put-it-down for me at about 40 or 50% or the way in.
What worked less well: I was uncomfortable with Rustle's relationships with Katrina and Marie. Katrina is blatantly exploitative, and Rustle is so slow to pick up on that that it's painful to watch. I didn't really vibe with his connection with Marie, either, but I didn't dislike her the way I did Katrina. To be fair to the author, I don't think these relationships are meant to be comfortable to read; the question is whether that kind of discomfort is something you want/tolerate in your reading experience.
Overall, this books does some interesting things with neurodivergence and is a compelling read.
Jude has major depressive disorder. Faron provides a kind of radical acceptance that makes him perfect for Jude without making him be a rescuer or a mJude has major depressive disorder. Faron provides a kind of radical acceptance that makes him perfect for Jude without making him be a rescuer or a magic cure....more
Enh. The synesthesia stuff was interesting. The YA novel problems and miniheartaches and such reminded me why I prefer YA fantasy/sf to realistic YA tEnh. The synesthesia stuff was interesting. The YA novel problems and miniheartaches and such reminded me why I prefer YA fantasy/sf to realistic YA these days. (It also reminded me of Daniel Pinkwater's ruthless satire Young Adult Novel, which I recommend.). And the comments of some synesthetic reviewers make me wonder how accurate she got the synesthesia material. My daughters should like it, though. ...more
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