elliecarr97's Reviews (368)

Porter has a beautiful way with words, and his debut novel is a pleasure to read. Although his poetic style is unconventional for a novel, he manages to create a gripping text that flows over you until you’ve finished as a quick read. Porter’s symbolism of grief as a crow encapsulates grief in adult and child vividly and heartbreakingly.

Okay so, firstly, I enjoyed reading this book; it’s a page turner. However, I don’t think it was necessary for Atwood to write a sequel to the masterpiece that is The Handmaid’s Tale. Part of what makes that book so shocking and powerful is its ambiguity. The Testaments answered 35 year old questions that were left unanswered for a reason. The characters had no way near the depth that the first novel had, and by nicely tying everything together and giving the book a happy ending (sorry if this is cynical) it diminished its power.

Don’t get me wrong the action style that Atwood has used and more active rebellion shows an urgency for resistance, I just didn’t feel that the style was as effective as the more symbolic style of The Handmaid’s Tale. Also, the plot twists weren’t really plot twists, they just confirmed everything I was suspecting and was obvious from the beginning.

The messages of the novel are still so relevant and important, I’m not saying they’re not, I’m just saying the execution of this - compared to The Handmaid’s Tale - weren’t as effectively explored in depth. Consequently, I don’t think it deserved to share the Man Booker prize with Girl, Woman, Other.

10:04 is a contemporary novel grounded in real time - 2015 New York. The protagonist is in the midst of writing a novel, whilst thinking about the possibility of becoming a father in a city that he thinks may eventually end up underwater.

This novel captures a feeling of indeterminacy and what it is like to be alive in our contemporary world. I wouldn’t say this novel has a very gripping plot, but its meta-fiction and ideas are extremely clever.