On Such a Full Sea in Around the World in 80 Books

Jan 06, 2014 Jayme Pendergraft rated it really liked it

Shelves: src-winter-2013, 2014

In future dystopian America, Fan sets out from B-Mor (Baltimore) after her boyfriend, Reg. She encounters many obstacles along the way and alternating chapters fill the reader in on the world she's living in. The world has basically come to an end, except in big population centers like B-Mor and D-Troy (Detroit), to name two. The classes are separated out, with the wealthiest living golden lives in the Charters, and the poor living in the counties, trying to support themselves any way they can.

F In future dystopian America, Fan sets out from B-Mor (Baltimore) after her boyfriend, Reg. She encounters many obstacles along the way and alternating chapters fill the reader in on the world she's living in. The world has basically come to an end, except in big population centers like B-Mor and D-Troy (Detroit), to name two. The classes are separated out, with the wealthiest living golden lives in the Charters, and the poor living in the counties, trying to support themselves any way they can.

Fan is a diver, as B-Mor's main export to the Charters is fish. As she ventures out after Reg, she encounters various members of the other classes. I can't say more without spoiling it, so I'll leave it at that.

Lee builds a dystopian world that is not really that hard to imagine. Many glued to their "vids," not interacting with those around them, not developing meaningful relationships. This world has been so segregated that the lower classes do not even dream of become of being a member of the upperclass, it is so far-fetched. I think this is why Fan and Reg's love story is so appealing agains such a stark landscape.

Reg is a factory worker and his interactions with Fan occur before the book begins. We learn that they are mostly innocent, compared to those of their peers. Fan's display of her love for Reg is the brightest element of this novel, is present throughout, and definitely kept me reading.

I think one of the most interesting things this novel did to me was get me so whole-heartedly cheering for Fan, even though we don't really hear much from her at all throughout the book. Fan has become a legend to her people, and they cheer her along and carry her story. This method had me on her side. I thin she's one of the better characters I've read in a while, and achieving this through only stories and not necessarily interaction with Fan is an accomplishment.

A tale, like the universe, they tell us, expands ceaselessly each time you examine it, until there is finally no telling exactly where it begins, where it ends, or where it places you now.

As each page turned, I learned more and more about what was truly happening in this novel. I thought the ending was perfect and continue to cheer for both Fan and Reg, wherever they are. ...more

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Jun 23, 2014 Cheryl Scaccio rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, dystopian

I received this book from the Librarything Early Reviewers. I was drawn to request it because of the reputation of the author, whom I had never read. The premise also sounded intriguing, although I had had my fill of dystopia for a while. First and foremost, it is beautifully written. I initially wanted to give it 4 stars for that. I found my self highlighting many passages, which is something I never do. There are passages that encapsulate an idea so beautifully that they stop you in your track ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 alana rated it liked it

Shelves: dystopia

My parents and I have a longstanding joke in which we refer to meandering movies that don't really go anywhere as "a river runs through it"...On Such a Full Sea was a bit of "a river runs through dystopia."

Fan, a young fish tank diver in the B-Mor settlement, flees her town in search of her boyfriend Reg when he suddenly disappears. The setting is in the future USA which, I think, is now New China? Or part of it? I dunno, that bit was confusing, and I might have spaced out during the explanatio ...more

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Sep 03, 2016 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 100-best-of-21st-c, literary-schmiterary, dystopian-and-post-apocalyptic, audio

This story really took me by surprise. At first, I was ansty because there was no plot. I wanted to know where is this going??: 2 stars. Then, I realized that it was well-written, and kind of interesting, even though the thin plot meandered: 3 stars. After a while, I noticed the writing was really quite good, and Lee was a genius at deftly weaving together a creepy and very plausible future that could develop from our present: 4 stars. Finally, I realized I could not wait to get back to this ver This story really took me by surprise. At first, I was ansty because there was no plot. I wanted to know where is this going??: 2 stars. Then, I realized that it was well-written, and kind of interesting, even though the thin plot meandered: 3 stars. After a while, I noticed the writing was really quite good, and Lee was a genius at deftly weaving together a creepy and very plausible future that could develop from our present: 4 stars. Finally, I realized I could not wait to get back to this very odd little tale: 5 stars! This probably won't be my absolute favorite read of the year, but it is brilliant.

This dystopia is never overtly horrifying or oppressive, and it is therefore all the more eerie and chilling as a result. The more time I spent with this book, the more I appreciated it. This is, as they say, "finely crafted."

The structure of this story reminded me of Junior Diaz's Oscar Wao. The first thing you notice is the story of Fan (analogous to Oscar), then you see there are stories of the people who knew/know Fan, and wrapped around both of those is the story of the narrators, who regularly jump in with their own comments and experiences. But what this story is really about is our society.

I can see that Lee is primarily interested in exploring ideas, and while I'm also interested in ideas, I am primarily interested in plot, so I became antsy at first. You need to be patient with this book It has everything that a good book should have: it's well-written, with complex characters, an interesting setting, and reflections on life and society. At first, it just wasn't engaging for me, but I am really glad I kept going. Although it lacked energy, it was still oddly compelling. Sort of how a blown glass spherical paper weight is compelling. It is smooth, and normal, and uneventful, and yet simultaneously soothing and strangely alien, as you peer into the irregular depths within it. You want to see more.

Often when I read a book I complain that the protagonist has no agency, she takes no action, things just happen to her, and how unrealistic that everyone decides to help her ... and I was not thinking that in this book, but when I got to this line, it made me laugh:

The funny thing about the tale of Fan is that much of what happened to her, happened to her. She showed plenty of her own volition - really, more than any of us could ever dream up - and yet at the same time her tale demonstrates how those who met her often took it upon themselves to help her, without really any hesitation, without always a ready self-interest. Every once in a while there are figures who draw such attention, even when they aren't especially charismatic, or visionary, or subtly, cleverly aggressive in insinuating an agenda into the larger imagination. For some reason, we want to see them succeed, we want them to flourish, even if that flourishing is something we'll never personally witness. They draw our energy so steadily and thoroughly, that only toward the finish of events can we recognize the extent of our exertions, and how those exertions, in sum, might have taken the form of a Movement.

Somehow, while this is still just as fictional and just as unrealistic, because the unbelievability was acknowledged, it suddenly felt real.

It drive me nuts wondering what the title meant. There were a lot of mentions of "C" (Cancer) and fish and marine life in general. Every time water was mentioned, I waited for someone to say "on such a full sea," the phrase "full sea" was used, but never the full title. Finally I googled, and discovered in this great LA Times review, that it's a quote from Shakespeare. (That's right, I'm no English major or Shakespeare scholar, I didn't recognize this was a Shakespeare quote.) ...more

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Jan 04, 2014 Alyson Zikmund rated it it was ok

I usually love his books but couldn't get into this one. It reminded me of pieces of other books set in future societies without enough of its own originality. ...more

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Dec 07, 2013 Tina marked it as to-read

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Jan 07, 2014 Jackie rated it really liked it

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Jan 14, 2014 Ching-In rated it really liked it

Shelves: heard-books, fiction, speculative

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Jan 28, 2014 Kristen Iworsky marked it as to-read

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Feb 01, 2014 Amy W marked it as to-read

Shelves: tbr-literary, maybe-someday-4

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Feb 03, 2014 Gaijinmama marked it as to-read

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Feb 09, 2014 SandyC marked it as to-read

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Mar 12, 2014 Beverly marked it as to-read

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Apr 12, 2014 Glynn rated it really liked it

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Apr 20, 2014 Deedee marked it as to-read

Shelves: year-2014, speculative-fiction-20-or-more, science-fiction, o2, 0t-dystopia, cover-white, c3, color-black-white-gray, literary-fiction, o2-no-articles

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