The Affirmation by Christopher Priest - 4 stars (Steeplechase, BWF)

[Joy D]

The Affirmation by Christopher Priest - 4* - My Review

Protagonist Robert Sinclair writes a manuscript to make sense of his life, which includes a metaphorical story as well as parts of his real life. The two versions influence each other. Themes include consciousness, identity, memory, elements of a meaningful life, and mental health. I particularly enjoyed the part where the protagonist wins a lottery that promises long life free from disease but comes with the price of losing all memory of self, which involves reflections on whether the reward is worth the cost. It involves a cruise through an archipelago, which may not be real. In fact, most of the book makes the reader wonder what is real and what is a product of Robert’s mind. I really enjoyed the first three-quarters of this book, but it gets increasingly bizarre toward the end. It is intentionally vague and leaves much to the reader to figure out what is going on. It is metafiction and will not be for everyone.

PBT Steeplechase - tagged "science fiction" x144:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

PBT April BWF Extra A - fits letter, not tag