Look, I understand what Tchaikovsky was doing here, I understand the themes he was exploring. I understand the context of this entire novella. <b>I understand</b>.

But was MONKEY the word he had to pick for the Ogres to use as a pejorative for the "lesser" humans whom they use as a lower working/slave caste? Really? REALLY??

High discomfort aside, I found the forced distance between the reader and the main character hard to overcome. The reveal of why the second person voice was used made sense, but I didn't really like it. The narrative choice was interesting, but I think I would have liked this written from a different approach. There was just such a wide space between reader and character that I didn't really feel anything for the characters or their plight or the overall story.