Goodreads review: 'Borne' by Jeff VanderMeer

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In a dystopian world, every good thing, no matter how small, is precious, but anything can become a monster. That’s the underlying premise of this novel: how to stay human, how to maintain love, and how not to become a monster in the midst of surroundings that keep growing more hostile.

(You can read the blurb if you want to find out more about the plot. I think that reviewers tend to recount what happens in a book, sometimes in extensive detail, because in their grade school days they were required to retell the story to prove to their teacher that they had indeed read the book. I think my job here is to help you decide if you might like the book. I enjoyed it, but be warned: it’s heavy on dystopia.)

VanderMeer delivers a ecological disaster with rich prose and an inventive, twisting story. It’s not quite a horror story despite horrible moments – and there are a lot of very horrible moments. I think that modern horror is essentially classical tragedy, and in tragedies end in grief and downfall. Even in the wrecked world of this novel, humanity in the end is tested but not defeated.



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