"I don't want to rate this because I was so disappointed" - me, for the past 3 days

I was so excited for this book. When our power went out earlier this week, I thought "yes!! an evening of reading Exoskeletons!!". And then I finished it out of spite and frustration and now we're here.

The book is written from Kris' first perspective perspective to her now-deceased wife, Beau. Beau died in childbirth and "the kid" she birthed was given a second shadow. Shadows, in this society, are doled out to those who seriously injure another person. They replace prisons, instead tarnishing people for life with higher taxes, housing and work restrictions, and other overt forms of discrimination.

Amazing concept, right? Given that we now live in a world where our digital past can be dug up (or fabricated), held against us, and result in social punishment outside of a court of law, I was really interested in what this book had to say. But all the insights felt shallow, vaguely reminding me of simplistic instagram infographics that use the right words but don't actually get into the details of a social issue. I also found the exploration of kink alongside these themes really jarring and frustrating. I think I was looking for a story with some meat, but instead got a series of disjointed vignettes against a backdrop of this shadow system.

While this is a 2-star read for me, I actually have multiple friends I would recommend this to because I think they would like it. Maybe you know who you are. But if you don't: recommended if you're interested in very overt discussions of oppression through a modern queer lens, don't mind highly experimental writing, and don't mind losing out on the sci-fi social commentary that I found lacking.

More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/7rhiwvWp9YY