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The Book of Strange New Things
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The Book of Strange New Things: Reviews by 2015 Reading Challengers
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Oh, I loved it! For a long time it seemed to be floating along (which I was fine with, since the concept of a missionary in space was sufficiently interesting for me), but then the last 100 pages were a sprint. It was incredible. I found myself sympathizing for Jesus Lover 5 so intensely, which surprised me- I didn't realize how connected I'd become to her (him? Them?).There were so many interesting dynamics to this book, but what really interested me was how it became a study of Peter. Did he love his wife, his faith, or himself the most? It was so hard for me to place as I read, but I really liked where the book decided to end.
I loved it! The book almost felt like a mystery novel to me. It was so difficult to anticipate what would happen next, who to trust, what were the motives of each character. I never would have selected this book on my own, so I am glad I participated in this monthly group selection.
Here's my review:I am so conflicted about this book. It starts out so strong and is incredibly interesting for the first half of the book or so. Faber does a wonderful job of creating the mystery associated with this new world and its natives. As I read, I came up with so many questions. I wanted to know more about all of the interesting characters and little plotlines. Unfortunately, essentially none of these questions are answered by the end of the book. The book just ends, that's it. Sometimes I like endings like that, but only if I'm reasonably satisfied by other things that have been resolved. Not so with this book. This story had such potential, and unfortunately reaches its peak too early.
I was so disappointed with this book :(. I feel like it could have been so much more. This was (I think) my first Sci-fi book. I just felt like everything and everyone should have been explored/explained a lot more. There were so many interesting things going on and people involved, it was a tease, I wanted more in depth information.
While I appreciate the complexity of this novel, the lack of closure left me feeling incredibly frustrated at the end. The characters were well-written, and in particular, Peter reminded me of many born-again, liberal Christian missionaries that I know. Worth reading but be warned about the lack of an ending! 3.5 stars
*SPOILERS*I just finished this book last night and came straight to Goodreads to do some review investigating and found this section. I am re-posting my review here.
3.5 stars - I could not devour this book fast enough, but now that I'm finished, I can't wrap my mind around what I just read.
For world-developing, I would give this 10 stars. I loved the descriptions of the aliens, their behavior, the environment of both the Oasis and the main headquarters, etc. The fact that the Oasans each wore a different color gown reminded me several times of Joseph's coat of many colors ("it was red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ocher and peach, etc..."). The whiteflowers, and the odd way the humid air moved and danced, and the rain - all beautifully written and very vivid.
It's the ending...and I'm not one to demand all my questions have answers. The mark of an amazing book is one that makes you think after the final page is turned, and you put your imagination to work deciphering what you just took in. BUT. What was happening on earth? Why was it happening? Why was the USIC formed in the first place? I have an image of the USIC headquarters as a large, sterile, and very quiet place - what exactly was its purpose? Why would they continue to feed drugs to to Oasans if they didn't know what the Oasans needed, and could not communicate enough to comprehend if those drugs were doing any good? Why did the Oasans move their original base farther from headquarters?
So yes...questions upon questions. Such incredible build-up, impossible to put down, but so much left unanswered.
I finished this book last night. I feel as though it took me longer to read because I had to force myself to finish it. This is my first offical "book club" read, and I have always found that when there is pressure on me to finish a book I begin to resent it, so my feeling about The Book of Strange New Things may reflect that resentment. I enjoyed the writing itself. Michel Faber has a way with words. It was the direction that this book took that really disappointed me. There was so much that could have been explored; life in the USIC compound, more about the lives of the planet's inhabitants and the havoc on Earth. I know this was more of a character study that happened to take place in space, rather than a true "sci-fi" novel, but I feel that he introduced so many things that were never fully addressed or resolved. I gave this book 3 starts - I enjoyed the writing but not the story.
I really liked this book. I would not have selected it if I had not joined this group, so thank you for introducing me to a new author. He is very talented. I think the ending sets us up for a sequel, but I heard Faber was not going to write another novel. I read that he lost his wife to cancer while writing this book. So sad. I'm sure his experience, though heart-wrenching, must have informed his writing of Peter and his agonizing separation from Bea. I think the story is a beautiful examination of the intimacy of marriage, the pain of separation and ebbs and flows of faith in God and each other.
I finished this book yesterday and I'm still unsure what I thought of it. I only read this because of this group and I went in completely blind as I didn't read the book description before.I was disappointed not to find out what happened to all of the main characters at the end and I thought Peter was quite naïve. I'm not sure that I really liked him.
However, I thought that the book was very well written and easy to read. It was just slow telling the story.
I've read Crimson Petal and the White by Faber in the past and also enjoyed that, so maybe I will read some more of his work.
So beautifully written but I'm not keen on this type of subject matter so despite an interesting beginning I too had to force myself to finish it because although I really wanted to know what happened it just seemed so long. Depressing picture of 'our' world and given the news this week possibly not too far off - had to keep checking when it was actually written. I loved the Crimson Petal and must admit that I was disappointed especially as I heard somewhere that this is to be his last book.
A story that takes place on an alien planet, with a few unknowable aliens thrown in does not constitute science fiction to me. The book is as flat as the landscape on the alien planet. There were directions this could have gone to make it intriguing. I kept reading to see if it might veer off in one of those directions, but in my opinion it is dull. Yawn! Next...it won't be one of Faber's books.
I would categorize this as science fiction, which is a genre I don't usually read...and I understand why those who do might not see it as true sci fi. Although there are a lot of unanswered questions, I think that's one of the things that made the book so awesome....it made me think so much after I was done. I couldn't put it down, devoured it, and now I have a book hangover. I wish he'd write a sequel, but I hear he doesn't plan to write anything else at all.
This was selected by one of the Goodreads groups for reading in January so thought I should give it a go. The story of a pastor getting selected to go work with aliens on the planet Oasis makes for a good plot line and enables the exploration of issues about religion, faith and personal conflicts. While I am not religious, the issues remain interesting and the stress on the relationship between someone in a faraway, new environment with their spouse back in the 'real' world had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the book left me wanting. The long distance relationship was not well developed and seemed pedestrian. The subtext of what was going on 'back home' was under-developed. The happenings on Oasis did highlight interesting opportunities for misunderstandings and enlightenment that one might face dealing with a different species and culture but this was only dealt with at a cursory level and not explored. Even what would appear to be the big epiphany toward the end didn't feel like a big moment or 'ah-ha'. There was nothing particularly wrong with the book but it left me wanting more depth and development. For this genre, Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow is a better example and worthy read.
I have extremely conflicting emotions about it. The novel is written superbly; Faber handles several tough topics with admirable grace. Too many times I wanted to underline or sticky note a line or paragraph but unfortunately I used a library copy. The story kept reminding me of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible: missionary sent to a foreign land to spread Christianity but the missionary learns more about the "aliens" than they learn about Jesus, and the voyage changes the missionary forever. I thoroughly enjoyed Kingsolver's book, but this one just didn't strike me the same way.I felt let down by Peter's choices, as well as by those of his wife Bea. At first I was captivated by the mystery behind USIC and their purpose, by the wonders of the strange new world and its inhabitants, and by the suspense of Peter's and Bea's disintegrating relationship. But once I'd reached the end, I found it severely lacking. So although this book encouraged me to look at our world differently and inspired some deep internal thoughts about religion, it may be a long while before (if ever) I pick up this book again.
I'm a little late finishing this book, but at any rate here are my thoughts. I gave it 3 stars but perhaps it's closer to 2.5 stars. The author is quite skilled with language & I enjoyed the book. The descriptions of Oasis are particularly lovely.
That being said, I felt like there was way too much scripture quoting, and quite a bit of the story line between Peter & the Oasans could have been summarized & shortened in editing. I don't mind a slower moving book when all of the text has valuable content; some of this one was a little repetitive.
Most of the characters aren't particularly compelling & I don't have strong feelings about most including Bea. The Oasans themselves actually remind me of the Peach women from The Blind Assassin which made me chuckle a bit.
There are disparities in both Peter's behavior & communication (with Bea) from the beginning / end of the book and the middle. So much so that I was actually convinced he was being drugged or something. His sudden disregard of his wife whom he professes to love so deeply quite annoyed me, especially with all that was happening at home. Every time he answered her letters by quoting scripture instead of talking to her I wanted to throw that bible at him. Don't get me wrong - I believe in God - but this is his wife for goodness sake.
Joshua's tragic end REALLY upset me and I nearly quit reading. I don't feel like it was necessary to the story or even to Bea's breakdown; there was already plenty going on in the world to test her faith.
The end of the story was a bit like watching someone jump off a high dive, then turning around and leaving before they hit the water. In my opinion it should have wrapped up after he returned home and at least tried to find Bea.
What I really like from this book is its epistolary novel kind of flavour. I just read The Pesian Letter by Montesquieu, and it sort of echoed it. The foreigner visiting an alien country/planet and describing its wonders. All that the protagonist left behind falling apart. The questioning of fate. That's all really similar.The letters Peter and Bea write to each other feel authentic. Contrary to The Persian Letter, the author doesn't have to explain things -- which the characters already know and wouldn't really explain to each other -- in the letters so the reader will understand. That's why the mix of narrative, dialogue and letters is interesting. The author can explain past events in the narrative instead of the letters, making it more natural. I like the bad writing and different styles that reflect the characters emotions and moods.
Though the structure was interesting to me, I didn't really enjoy the book that much, and I was happy to be done with it.
I finished it a bit late (yesterday). I got my reservation from the library late this month.
For me too it's about a 3 star.
What I really like from this book is its epistolary novel kind of flavour. I just read The Pesian Letter by Montesquieu, and it sort of echoed it. The foreigner visiting an alien country/planet and describing its wonders. All that the protagonist left behind falling apart. The questioning of fate.
The letters Peter and Bea write to each other feel authentic. Contrary to The Persian Letter, the author doesn't have to explain things -- which the characters already know and wouldn't really explain to each other -- in the letters so the reader will understand. That's why the mix of narrative, dialogue and letters is interesting. The author can explain past events in the narrative instead of the letters, making it more natural. I like the bad writing and different styles that reflect the characters emotions and moods.
Though the structure was interesting to me, I didn't really enjoy the book that much, and I was happy to be done with it.
I didn't like the characters that much. The reaction of Bea toward Peter was kind of extreme and not always deserved in my opinion. I know she was going through really heavy stuff, but she really annoyed me. She was probably the character I dislike the most. Peter’s way to talk to his wife annoyed me too. I would think of a psychologist trying to diagnose his wife for depression when all she need is a hug and emotional talk. I would have like the Oasans to be more of a challenge to Peter. They just took everything he said for cash, just like kid listening to daddy, even though they probably understand little if nothing at all. In their place I would be curious and interested by human traditions and faith, but I wouldn’t be embracing their religion the second a human walk through my village. They probably had their own believes (religious, spiritual, scientific or whatever) and traditions and they would have to test them against the new knowledge. Their truth against somebody else truth. But I guess, if they had resist, the contrast between Bea’s situation and Peter’s wouldn’t be as much polarized.
***Spoilers***I just finished this book last night. The story had a good premise and I liked the religious aspects of it.
I gave it 3 stars because the book did not hold my interest and felt I had to force myself to read it. I felt the book did not need to be as long as it was. It was filled with a lot of repetitive moments and thoughts and while the emails were interesting I found they sometimes dragged the story and were boring at times. But the one thing for me that made me not really like the book was the ending because there were many unanswered questions. (view spoiler)
I was going to give it a 2, but felt it was a decent book. It had a good premise and I loved the parts with Oasans and enjoyed the relationship between Peter and the Oasans especially Jesus Lover 1 and 5. (view spoiler)
Overall a decent read, it was a good story and well written, however way too long for me and could have easily been condensed. Also felt more could have been done with the plot and more closure would have been better.
Please make sure to mark spoilers, Clare. Why the Oasans are so interested in Christianity is a major plot point, and some members reading this thread may not have finished the book yet. Wrap that text in [spoiler] at the front and [/spoiler] at the end, except replace the []s with <>s.
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2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Blind Assassin (other topics)The Poisonwood Bible (other topics)
Please make sure to mark your spoilers by typing "[spoiler]" at the start and [/spoiler] at the end but replacing the []s with <>s.