The Tesseract by Alex Garland - 3 stars (Subdue)

[Joy D]

The Tesseract by Alex Garland - 3* - My Review

Set in the Philippines, this novel contains three distinct non-linear narratives that portray three groups of people who would not normally interact, but whose storylines eventually converge in a violent fashion. It begins in a hotel room, where a man waits for a mob boss. It is a book best read with little knowledge of what will happen. It may seem disjointed at first, but the separate threads eventually converge. Backstories for the three groups are woven into the narrative. It is told in a fragmented manner in very short chapters. It is written in a way that keeps the reader’s attention through trying to piece together what is going on. The tone is dark and gritty. It is a short book but a little too gruesome for me. This is the first time I have read Alex Garland’s works and I liked it enough to read another.

Content warning: (view spoiler)[ harm to children and animals, especially cats, gruesome gun violence described in detail. (hide spoiler)]

PBT Comments: Somehow I had purchased the Danish version of this book. Only problem is I don't know Danish, lol. I had to find an English version.