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abby_ace_of_books 's review for:
Counterweight
by Djuna
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Sometimes, a book has me annotating silly little jokes in the margins. Sometimes, a book has me writing entire sticky notes' worth of ranting.
Counterweight is an interesting sci-fi novella in that it tries to mimic an action movie (complete with the B Story aka Romance Subplot), classic SF novels with anti-corporate sentiments, detective/noir vibes, cyberpunk tropes, discussion of neocolonialism, and just odd aesthetics in general. The nature of a novella implies conciseness and a relatively smaller scope (they can be large in scope, but they typically aren't).
Counterweight felt like it bit off more than it could chew. The choice of protagonist was interesting, as Mac tries to resemble an action hero but ends up being an almost invisible narrator. None of the characters are particularly likable, which might be the point, but it detracts from the enjoyment of the book.
The pacing can also feel a bit sloppy at times. Every other chapter seems to do a deep dive into the backstory of the characters, meaning every time the plot begins progressing, it stops abruptly. The first 75% of the story was quite slow, in my opinion, but then the ending felt rushed. I think some of this stemmed from the author's attempt to fit an entire action film into less than 200 pages.
Because I read it for a class, I was trying to pay attention to the themes, which is where my sticky note rant came from. The story successfully called out certain themes, but these themes weren't really elaborated on or given any nuance. My rant came from one character dismissing his actions as an act of "true love" and implying that romance is what makes us human, which I completely disagree with. I know literature is subjective and no themes are "wrong," but this novella had several points that should have been addressed more in-depth, or should have been written with more nuance in mind.
By no means is Counterweight a bad story - and I honestly wonder how much my criticism comes from the translation - it's just very chaotic in a way that detracts from the reading experience.
Counterweight is an interesting sci-fi novella in that it tries to mimic an action movie (complete with the B Story aka Romance Subplot), classic SF novels with anti-corporate sentiments, detective/noir vibes, cyberpunk tropes, discussion of neocolonialism, and just odd aesthetics in general. The nature of a novella implies conciseness and a relatively smaller scope (they can be large in scope, but they typically aren't).
Counterweight felt like it bit off more than it could chew. The choice of protagonist was interesting, as Mac tries to resemble an action hero but ends up being an almost invisible narrator. None of the characters are particularly likable, which might be the point, but it detracts from the enjoyment of the book.
The pacing can also feel a bit sloppy at times. Every other chapter seems to do a deep dive into the backstory of the characters, meaning every time the plot begins progressing, it stops abruptly. The first 75% of the story was quite slow, in my opinion, but then the ending felt rushed. I think some of this stemmed from the author's attempt to fit an entire action film into less than 200 pages.
Because I read it for a class, I was trying to pay attention to the themes, which is where my sticky note rant came from. The story successfully called out certain themes, but these themes weren't really elaborated on or given any nuance. My rant came from one character dismissing his actions as an act of "true love" and implying that romance is what makes us human, which I completely disagree with. I know literature is subjective and no themes are "wrong," but this novella had several points that should have been addressed more in-depth, or should have been written with more nuance in mind.
By no means is Counterweight a bad story - and I honestly wonder how much my criticism comes from the translation - it's just very chaotic in a way that detracts from the reading experience.