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calarco 's review for:
The Fifth Season
by N.K. Jemisin
I cannot believe that I have gone this long without reading a single N. K. Jemisin book, but [b:The Fifth Season|19161852|The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)|N.K. Jemisin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386803701l/19161852._SY75_.jpg|26115977] was a brilliant introduction, and a slam-dunk of a novel if I ever did read one. Truly, she deserves all of the Hugo Awards.
The world is literally fractured and ending—this is the beginning of the story. The narrative then unravels from the perspectives of three women—Essun, Damaya, and Seyenite. Through their eyes, Jemisin masterfully reveals vital backstory of how the world came to be such a nightmare, interlaced with and mirroring character exposition that moves the plot along with masterful pacing. Perhaps an unfair comparison, but I have not been this absorbed by an author’s prose since Octavia Butler (which for me I intend only as the highest praise).
Each of these women endure unique hardships that leave scars that do not fade throughout their lifespans. While their trials are different, they prove to be more similar than different. What unites this narrative though, is the undercurrent of rage flowing from years (centuries even) of injustice. I am not always great at tapping into my own inner anger, but Jemisin lit the fire for me and it has yet to fizzle out.
“Tell them they can be great someday, like us. Tell them they belong among us, no matter how we treat them. Tell them they must earn the respect which everyone else receives by default. Them them there is a standard for acceptance; that standard is simply perfection. Kill those who scoff at those contradictions, and tell the rest that the dead deserved annihilation for their weakness and doubt. Then they'll break themselves trying for what they'll never achieve.”
I finished this book right before entering self-isolation due to the spread of COVID-19 earlier this month. Jemisin made the end of the world seem like a new beginning filled with possibilities and catharsis, which right now seems like nothing short of a miracle. It’s books like these that make turbulent times feel bearable, I honestly could not recommend this one more.
The world is literally fractured and ending—this is the beginning of the story. The narrative then unravels from the perspectives of three women—Essun, Damaya, and Seyenite. Through their eyes, Jemisin masterfully reveals vital backstory of how the world came to be such a nightmare, interlaced with and mirroring character exposition that moves the plot along with masterful pacing. Perhaps an unfair comparison, but I have not been this absorbed by an author’s prose since Octavia Butler (which for me I intend only as the highest praise).
Each of these women endure unique hardships that leave scars that do not fade throughout their lifespans. While their trials are different, they prove to be more similar than different. What unites this narrative though, is the undercurrent of rage flowing from years (centuries even) of injustice. I am not always great at tapping into my own inner anger, but Jemisin lit the fire for me and it has yet to fizzle out.
“Tell them they can be great someday, like us. Tell them they belong among us, no matter how we treat them. Tell them they must earn the respect which everyone else receives by default. Them them there is a standard for acceptance; that standard is simply perfection. Kill those who scoff at those contradictions, and tell the rest that the dead deserved annihilation for their weakness and doubt. Then they'll break themselves trying for what they'll never achieve.”
I finished this book right before entering self-isolation due to the spread of COVID-19 earlier this month. Jemisin made the end of the world seem like a new beginning filled with possibilities and catharsis, which right now seems like nothing short of a miracle. It’s books like these that make turbulent times feel bearable, I honestly could not recommend this one more.