![]() It is gloriously spooky and deeply subversive. I will say that this is a book that has teeth. I won’t reveal the plot here as part of the fun is in understanding what is going on only a little before Sophia does. At first, they seem the typical dry legalese you find in any lease but, as the chapters go by, they sound darker, more authoritarian, closer to the regulations of a prison camp than of a residential community. Sophia’s chapters are punctuated by extracts from the rules governing the gated community she lives in. The inquiry, though kind, has no meaning for her.” It is possible to be so entirely happy you never ask the question. These chapters are full of strong images that I found myself highlighting but one of my favourites is Sophia’s response when she is asked if she is happy. This reflects Sophia’s growing understanding that there are things that she’s not seeing or things that she’s seeing but not understanding and finally, that there are things everyone else sees clearly that she cannot focus on and that these things make them pity her and fear for her. The writing that describes Sophia’s actions is rich and ripe, flooding the senses in a dizzying way that sweeps the reader along in a series of images that engage but which are difficult at first to make into a pattern. Valente has a narcotic fairytale feel to it, a toxic sweetness with rot at its core, that reminds me of Angela Carter’s short stories. The writing is as gorgeous and the story is as disturbing as the artwork. This is a book that you can judge by its cover. ![]()
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