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I Cheerfully Refuse
Set in a not-too-distant America, I Cheerfully Refuse is the tale of Rainy, an aspiring musician setting sail on Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. An endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, he seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs, and remote islands of the inland sea. After encountering lunatic storms and rising corpses from the warming depths, he eventually lands to find an increasingly desperate and illiterate people, a malignant billionaire ruling class, a crumbled infrastructure, and a lawless society. As his guileless nature begins to make an inadvertent rebel of him, Rainy’s private quest for the love of his life grows into something wider and wilder, sweeping up friends and foes alike in his wake.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2024
About the author
Leif Enger
20 books2,028 followersLeif Enger was raised in Osakis, Minnesota, and worked as a reporter and producer for Minnesota Public Radio for nearly twenty years. He lives on a farm in Minnesota with his wife and two sons.
His writing is a smooth mix of romanticism and gritty reality, recalling the Old West's greatest cowboy stories.
Enger's novel, Peace Like a River, was one of Time magazine's top-five novels of the year 2001 and appeared on several other best seller lists.
His second novel, So Brave, Young, and Handsome also appeared on best seller lists in 2008.
For further details, see the author's Wikipedia page.
His writing is a smooth mix of romanticism and gritty reality, recalling the Old West's greatest cowboy stories.
Enger's novel, Peace Like a River, was one of Time magazine's top-five novels of the year 2001 and appeared on several other best seller lists.
His second novel, So Brave, Young, and Handsome also appeared on best seller lists in 2008.
For further details, see the author's Wikipedia page.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,401 reviews
March 19, 2024
A beautiful dystopian novel.. by the author of Peace Like A River!
The world has changed, evil people are in charge including police.. fresh food very limited, a comet is coming that brings illness, books and booksellers are treasonous, climate change has brought dead bodies up to float on Lake Superior.
Rainy, a musician…takes to Lake Superior in an old boat of his to escape the predators that killed his wife Lark in their home. This then becomes quite an adventure with huge challenges and hardships.
He comes across a nine year old girl, Sol at one of his stops on land who was being abused by an evil man and she comes along on the rest of his journey.
Loved the characters… even Lake Superior seemed like a character!
A novel with a huge heart!
Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic/Morgan Entrekin for the Arc!
The world has changed, evil people are in charge including police.. fresh food very limited, a comet is coming that brings illness, books and booksellers are treasonous, climate change has brought dead bodies up to float on Lake Superior.
Rainy, a musician…takes to Lake Superior in an old boat of his to escape the predators that killed his wife Lark in their home. This then becomes quite an adventure with huge challenges and hardships.
He comes across a nine year old girl, Sol at one of his stops on land who was being abused by an evil man and she comes along on the rest of his journey.
Loved the characters… even Lake Superior seemed like a character!
A novel with a huge heart!
Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic/Morgan Entrekin for the Arc!
May 18, 2024
I was cheerfully confused for the first third of the story. I wasn’t sure of the century but it’s after ours where books and stories are cherished as is the relationship of Lark and Rainy. But it’s also a dark and dismal time. People committing suicide to escape the reality. Then there is the dreaded day which begins a series of events Rainy must run from and leads him to Lake Superior in his sailboat, Flower.
During this perilous journey, he meets many seasoned folks and misfits along the way all the while searching for his own ghost.
The writing at times soothing and ethereal; at others, brutal and bashing. As dark as the story was, the beauty is in this prose.
I am now convinced I am a dystopian fan.
4⭐️
During this perilous journey, he meets many seasoned folks and misfits along the way all the while searching for his own ghost.
The writing at times soothing and ethereal; at others, brutal and bashing. As dark as the story was, the beauty is in this prose.
I am now convinced I am a dystopian fan.
4⭐️
April 14, 2024
There were times when I found this story so chaotic and confusing without fully understanding what had happened. I kept wondering how things got to be the way they were, wondering who these “astronauts”, the people in charge were, these truly evil people. Maybe the chaos and confusion was meant to reflect the apocalyptic nature of the time, maybe Enger is trying to warn us about evil focrces that are around us today. I’m really not sure. It’s unnerving, to say the least.
However, there’s much to love about this dystopian novel, especially some of the characters. Rainy, a bear of a man with such a gentle heart, expressing so much with his music. It’s moving to see how compassionate he is with children, how he protects and saves a 9 year old girl named Sol from a life of abuse on multiple occasions. I love his wife Lark, too, her love of books, how everyone loves her, how Rainy became a reader because of her. Lark exudes such hope in spite of what is happening. Sol is a bright spot in keeping with her name and gives Rainy some much needed hope in his grief.
The presence of the future through a dream, perhaps the spiritual moment of connection Rainy was searching for, the beauty and lure of his music, of the written word, of natural occurrences and the courage and resilience of people under duress, do bring hope. These things outweigh what at times left me wondering . This is worth reading for the memorable characters and the writing which is as lovely as in his other novels. Peace Like a River, though, which is one of my favorite books remains my favorite by Leif Enger.
I was grateful to have read this with my book buddy , Diane.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through both NetGalley.
However, there’s much to love about this dystopian novel, especially some of the characters. Rainy, a bear of a man with such a gentle heart, expressing so much with his music. It’s moving to see how compassionate he is with children, how he protects and saves a 9 year old girl named Sol from a life of abuse on multiple occasions. I love his wife Lark, too, her love of books, how everyone loves her, how Rainy became a reader because of her. Lark exudes such hope in spite of what is happening. Sol is a bright spot in keeping with her name and gives Rainy some much needed hope in his grief.
The presence of the future through a dream, perhaps the spiritual moment of connection Rainy was searching for, the beauty and lure of his music, of the written word, of natural occurrences and the courage and resilience of people under duress, do bring hope. These things outweigh what at times left me wondering . This is worth reading for the memorable characters and the writing which is as lovely as in his other novels. Peace Like a River, though, which is one of my favorite books remains my favorite by Leif Enger.
I was grateful to have read this with my book buddy , Diane.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through both NetGalley.
April 2, 2024
T.S. Eliot claimed, “This is the way the world ends/ Not with a bang but a whimper.” That whimper is the sound of me being buried under novels about it.
This week I’m recovering from one apocalyptic novel, reviewing a new one, reading a forthcoming one and wearily eyeing two more. Clearly, we’ve arrived at the future in which everyone writes about the collapse of civilization for 15 minutes. If the world is really about to end, I wish it would hurry up.
The strange thing about doomsday, though, is its infinite adaptability. Note, for instance, how graciously the eschatology of previous millennia swelled to accommodate fears of nuclear annihilation in the 20th century. And now climate change, seasoned with a soupçon of political tyranny, promises to cook all our anxieties in a final vat of despondency. The result is a literary doom loop that keeps spinning faster. Over the last few years, I’ve read so many dystopian novels that I had to look up the plural spelling of “apocalypse.”
It’s comforting to imagine that the persistence of this bleak genre is a perverse kind of optimism: Despero, ergo sum! After all, we’ve survived long enough for Sandra Newman to publish a retelling of “1984” called “Julia.” When I first read George Orwell’s terrifying book in the 1970s, I worried we’d never make it to 1984, let alone to the 21st century.
But now that Leif Enger has written an apocalyptic novel, the world may actually be coming to an end. Enger, you’ll remember, launched his career in early September 2001 with a mega-bestseller called “Peace Like a River” — an inspiring adventure about a family that regularly experiences miracles. As the twin towers smoldered, coldblooded critics recoiled at his novel’s unabashed spirituality, but I thought it was divine.
Almost 25 years later, Enger’s idealism is contending with a world even grimmer than the Armageddon envisioned at the end of a Trump-branded Bible. His new novel, titled “I Cheerfully Refuse” (a bit too on the nose), describes a future swamped by climate change, economic disparity and political decay. Sixteen wealthy families — so out of touch that they’re referred to as “astronauts” — own all the “mineral rights and satellite clusters and news factories and prisons and most clean water and such shipping as remained.” How comfortingly familiar!
But other trendlines from our time have reached their inevitable conclusion in the wasteland Enger describes: Pandemics have thinned the population. Indentured servitude is back in vogue and the government provides “compliance therapeutics” to keep workers docile and obedient. Nitrous oxide has become a common form of self-medication, and that’s the least of it: A drug called Willow, “a rising star in the market of despair,” is ingested by individuals, entire families and sometimes whole neighborhoods to commit suicide.
Naturally, these calamities have been ushered in by a deep suspicion of learning, particularly of literature. Fundamentalists have closed.....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
This week I’m recovering from one apocalyptic novel, reviewing a new one, reading a forthcoming one and wearily eyeing two more. Clearly, we’ve arrived at the future in which everyone writes about the collapse of civilization for 15 minutes. If the world is really about to end, I wish it would hurry up.
The strange thing about doomsday, though, is its infinite adaptability. Note, for instance, how graciously the eschatology of previous millennia swelled to accommodate fears of nuclear annihilation in the 20th century. And now climate change, seasoned with a soupçon of political tyranny, promises to cook all our anxieties in a final vat of despondency. The result is a literary doom loop that keeps spinning faster. Over the last few years, I’ve read so many dystopian novels that I had to look up the plural spelling of “apocalypse.”
It’s comforting to imagine that the persistence of this bleak genre is a perverse kind of optimism: Despero, ergo sum! After all, we’ve survived long enough for Sandra Newman to publish a retelling of “1984” called “Julia.” When I first read George Orwell’s terrifying book in the 1970s, I worried we’d never make it to 1984, let alone to the 21st century.
But now that Leif Enger has written an apocalyptic novel, the world may actually be coming to an end. Enger, you’ll remember, launched his career in early September 2001 with a mega-bestseller called “Peace Like a River” — an inspiring adventure about a family that regularly experiences miracles. As the twin towers smoldered, coldblooded critics recoiled at his novel’s unabashed spirituality, but I thought it was divine.
Almost 25 years later, Enger’s idealism is contending with a world even grimmer than the Armageddon envisioned at the end of a Trump-branded Bible. His new novel, titled “I Cheerfully Refuse” (a bit too on the nose), describes a future swamped by climate change, economic disparity and political decay. Sixteen wealthy families — so out of touch that they’re referred to as “astronauts” — own all the “mineral rights and satellite clusters and news factories and prisons and most clean water and such shipping as remained.” How comfortingly familiar!
But other trendlines from our time have reached their inevitable conclusion in the wasteland Enger describes: Pandemics have thinned the population. Indentured servitude is back in vogue and the government provides “compliance therapeutics” to keep workers docile and obedient. Nitrous oxide has become a common form of self-medication, and that’s the least of it: A drug called Willow, “a rising star in the market of despair,” is ingested by individuals, entire families and sometimes whole neighborhoods to commit suicide.
Naturally, these calamities have been ushered in by a deep suspicion of learning, particularly of literature. Fundamentalists have closed.....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
March 3, 2024
’HERE AT THE BEGINNING it must be said the End was on everyone’s mind.’
Set in the near future, this is a dystopian novel that revolves around climate change, which then leads to the collapse of society in many ways including the government, laws, and simple niceties. It’s a free-for-all in many ways, but there is also more to this story than that. A story of love, and loss. A story of family, the ones we choose, and who choose us in return.
A beautifully written story, at times poetic in the way that it flows even when the story begins to get darker in nature. As this begins, the story revolves around Rainy and Lark, a beat up and ancient advance copy of a book that arrives with the title of ’I Cheerfully Refuse’, and a man who is seeking shelter, and Lark offers him a room, with fatal results.
Meanwhile, outside their relatively isolated home, there is chaos virtually everywhere, which leads to Rainy setting sail, hoping to avoid those who would wish to harm him. When he stops at one of the towns on the coast for supplies, he soon finds himself with a girl who hides in his boat.
’The lake was dark and flat. It was a blackboard to the end of sight, and any story might be written upon the surface.’
At times this has tense moments, as well as moments of worry, sorrow and heartbreak, but there are also moments of generosity, caring, affection and perhaps above all, hope.
Pub Date: 02 Apr 2024
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Grove Atlantic, Grove Press
April 21, 2024
The characters in this book, Rainy, Lark and later a young girl Sol, drew me right into this story. Which I found to be a very good thing as there was so much I was confused about. It’s set n the future, but how far into the future is not stated. Not too far, I think. Then it appears that our government is no more and we are being ruled by a group called the Astronauts, but who they are is also unknown, just that they and those associated with them are not very nice people. Also, people don’t read anymore, no new books written but Lark goes from place to place gathering left books for her bookstore. Yes, she opens a bookstore for those who want to read.
Then tragedy strikes and Rainy finds himself alone. Heartbroken, alone, adrift in life he decides to take his boat and travel to the place that he and Lark had previously traveled. It is where the once found the spirit of Molly Thorne who wrote the book, I cheerfully refuse. This journey is the nexus of the story, what he finds and who he meets, will set him on a new course.
Despite some of the confusion Angela and I both felt at times, I’ve come to believe that the reader being adrift is meant to mimic both Rainey’s feelings and his journey. Or so I believe, hope I’ve gotten that right. Anyway, a very different book from this author but one I very much enjoyed.
Then tragedy strikes and Rainy finds himself alone. Heartbroken, alone, adrift in life he decides to take his boat and travel to the place that he and Lark had previously traveled. It is where the once found the spirit of Molly Thorne who wrote the book, I cheerfully refuse. This journey is the nexus of the story, what he finds and who he meets, will set him on a new course.
Despite some of the confusion Angela and I both felt at times, I’ve come to believe that the reader being adrift is meant to mimic both Rainey’s feelings and his journey. Or so I believe, hope I’ve gotten that right. Anyway, a very different book from this author but one I very much enjoyed.
May 15, 2024
It took me an unusually long time to read this book—there were other urgent matters in my life that unfortunately competed with the urgent matters in this book (but I would have rather been hunkered down reading). Ironically, we had a bit of flood and water damage to our house, right as I am reading this book that largely takes place in untamed waters on a leaky boat!
The story here was geographically massive in scope---in that Enger covers a lot of earth, as well as the inland sea of the Great Lakes, and the Canadian Slate Islands. Nothing is inert or stagnant, the movement in this journey is formidable. The sea is rollicking and wild, tearing up rocks, the winds tossing it even more, and the near-future dystopian-esque land and life has been drained by climate change. In this future epoch is an inexorable, credible vision of life and death. The main characters are Rainy (a bass guitarist in a band and all-around great husband) and his wife, Lark—a bookstore owner in the midst of an era when people no longer read—only the “ancients” open books. She is also a masterfully skilled sailor.
Rainy and Lark live happily in (fictional) Icebridge, Michigan, and then a young dude stranger shows up with car troubles and other troubles, including a nitrous oxide habit. Events unfold and danger lurks, a villain is referred to, and the reader is aware that things are about to get real for the couple, and their new friend brought trouble with him, however inadvertently. Best of all is this inscrutable author—Lark’s favorite—named Molly Thorn, whose work Lark adores. She is trying to obtain all her books—there’s a whole myth surrounding Molly, not the least of which, is she dead or alive? Does it matter?
No spoilers here, so I will just dance around the plot so I don’t spoil anyone’s discovery. Rainy is about to go on a journey worthy of Orpheus. From Lark, he learned how to sail, and even gained some advanced knowledge, and he was a quick study. Enger thoroughly saturates us into the inland sea, the Great Lakes region, lots and lots of boat v water, too! The setting itself is a character; I’ve never felt such an unremitting sea that delivers like a determined antagonist, pushing up against a relentless protagonist in a way that makes the sea almost human and Rainy practically a human halyard.
It's the near future, but I suspect that Enger purposely refrained from giving an actual time period. 25 years from now? 50? It’s hard to say, but it feels immanent and authentic, an era that can’t be forestalled indefinitely, and has come with more warnings. The class system is worse than it is now, with the rich folks living on the east or west coast. Reading is done by “ancients” and there are odd weather hazards/storms we’ve yet to experience in our lifetime—like bursts or microbursts, and other hair-raising incidents that I don’t want to give away.
New times bring more alarming medicines and treatments, including “Compliance” meds that compel the user to comply with societal “norms.” Aggressive meds, also--a cache of them is worth a pirate’s plunder. You can purchase a modern-day hemlock drug, which removes you from this life to whatever is next (they don’t call it straight-up death) and allows you to spend your final hours in an elated mood, and then you quietly, painlessly stop breathing in this life--and these drugs are worth a lot of money, and is run by a dangerous man and his crew. People seeking this drug believe that we move onto another type of existence, not permanent erasure.
Rainy’s adventures while sailing the boat are many and detailed with both menace and beauty. It won’t take long before the reader feels waterlogged, in a way that sluices you into the story. I felt Enger’s characters right at my heels, or my shoulder, and in my heart.
“Earlier I’d begun to imagine the lake on my side, a protective demigod, the queen herself, adorned with thunder, stepping between me and those who’d have my skin. So much for all that. Deceived is what I felt… Superior had forgot that she was a lake at all—no, she was like her sister the North Atlantic and her cousins the hurricanes who pull down houses and urge barns into the sea.”
The story here was geographically massive in scope---in that Enger covers a lot of earth, as well as the inland sea of the Great Lakes, and the Canadian Slate Islands. Nothing is inert or stagnant, the movement in this journey is formidable. The sea is rollicking and wild, tearing up rocks, the winds tossing it even more, and the near-future dystopian-esque land and life has been drained by climate change. In this future epoch is an inexorable, credible vision of life and death. The main characters are Rainy (a bass guitarist in a band and all-around great husband) and his wife, Lark—a bookstore owner in the midst of an era when people no longer read—only the “ancients” open books. She is also a masterfully skilled sailor.
Rainy and Lark live happily in (fictional) Icebridge, Michigan, and then a young dude stranger shows up with car troubles and other troubles, including a nitrous oxide habit. Events unfold and danger lurks, a villain is referred to, and the reader is aware that things are about to get real for the couple, and their new friend brought trouble with him, however inadvertently. Best of all is this inscrutable author—Lark’s favorite—named Molly Thorn, whose work Lark adores. She is trying to obtain all her books—there’s a whole myth surrounding Molly, not the least of which, is she dead or alive? Does it matter?
No spoilers here, so I will just dance around the plot so I don’t spoil anyone’s discovery. Rainy is about to go on a journey worthy of Orpheus. From Lark, he learned how to sail, and even gained some advanced knowledge, and he was a quick study. Enger thoroughly saturates us into the inland sea, the Great Lakes region, lots and lots of boat v water, too! The setting itself is a character; I’ve never felt such an unremitting sea that delivers like a determined antagonist, pushing up against a relentless protagonist in a way that makes the sea almost human and Rainy practically a human halyard.
It's the near future, but I suspect that Enger purposely refrained from giving an actual time period. 25 years from now? 50? It’s hard to say, but it feels immanent and authentic, an era that can’t be forestalled indefinitely, and has come with more warnings. The class system is worse than it is now, with the rich folks living on the east or west coast. Reading is done by “ancients” and there are odd weather hazards/storms we’ve yet to experience in our lifetime—like bursts or microbursts, and other hair-raising incidents that I don’t want to give away.
New times bring more alarming medicines and treatments, including “Compliance” meds that compel the user to comply with societal “norms.” Aggressive meds, also--a cache of them is worth a pirate’s plunder. You can purchase a modern-day hemlock drug, which removes you from this life to whatever is next (they don’t call it straight-up death) and allows you to spend your final hours in an elated mood, and then you quietly, painlessly stop breathing in this life--and these drugs are worth a lot of money, and is run by a dangerous man and his crew. People seeking this drug believe that we move onto another type of existence, not permanent erasure.
Rainy’s adventures while sailing the boat are many and detailed with both menace and beauty. It won’t take long before the reader feels waterlogged, in a way that sluices you into the story. I felt Enger’s characters right at my heels, or my shoulder, and in my heart.
“Earlier I’d begun to imagine the lake on my side, a protective demigod, the queen herself, adorned with thunder, stepping between me and those who’d have my skin. So much for all that. Deceived is what I felt… Superior had forgot that she was a lake at all—no, she was like her sister the North Atlantic and her cousins the hurricanes who pull down houses and urge barns into the sea.”
Read
April 16, 2024"It's taken all my life to learn protection is the promise you can't make."
Confession: I went into this book with enormous expectations. The blurb tells of a sentient Lake Superior sailed by a man searching for his wife, and rising corpses, and lunatic storms, etc. It conjured in my mind a book that would be strange and surreal, filled with magical realism amid its heavy literary themes.
But alas . . .
Lake Superior is merely believed to be sentient.
The rising corpses are indeed corpses rising (bodies surfacing in warming waters), but they do not reanimate or walk the earth.
There is an epic storm. Unruly, yes, but swiftly overcome.
Rainy does set out to find his wife, but that's a metaphorical use of the word "find" because .
I can appreciate Enger's talent as a writer. He never states anything simply or with bare terms. His protagonist has his own distinct way of speaking, of deferring to lesser used terms to describe the mundane.
But. . .
I wanted the sentient lake to feel, or even speak. I hoped the rising corpses would give chase. I wished the chapters titled "stubby golems on the fretboard" actually had golems, or that the chapter titled "skeletons climbing stairs in the rain" had actual skeletons climbing stairs in the rain instead of emaciated humans ambling briefly up the stairs.
This all sounds like a me problem; I was given the impression the book was something else and that shaped my reading experience. I hope this review will prevent others from experiencing the same; if you know what to expect you can better discern if this is the right book for you.
Here's what you can expect from this book: a slow, quiet pace; a man's metaphorical search for his wife (it's about 85 pages before he actually sets off); robust language, some beautiful imagery, lots of descriptions of playing bass or sailing, and a lake that occasionally grows unwieldy with high winds or large waves.
For as much as the protagonist centers his journey on finding his wife, the end of the book is unexpectedly understated.
I'd recommend this book to readers interested in a slow, meditative read grounded in reality that touches on grief and a longing for connection.
--
My deepest gratitude to Grove Atlantic for sending me a gorgeous finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Confession: I went into this book with enormous expectations. The blurb tells of a sentient Lake Superior sailed by a man searching for his wife, and rising corpses, and lunatic storms, etc. It conjured in my mind a book that would be strange and surreal, filled with magical realism amid its heavy literary themes.
But alas . . .
Lake Superior is merely believed to be sentient.
The rising corpses are indeed corpses rising (bodies surfacing in warming waters), but they do not reanimate or walk the earth.
There is an epic storm. Unruly, yes, but swiftly overcome.
Rainy does set out to find his wife, but that's a metaphorical use of the word "find" because .
I can appreciate Enger's talent as a writer. He never states anything simply or with bare terms. His protagonist has his own distinct way of speaking, of deferring to lesser used terms to describe the mundane.
But. . .
I wanted the sentient lake to feel, or even speak. I hoped the rising corpses would give chase. I wished the chapters titled "stubby golems on the fretboard" actually had golems, or that the chapter titled "skeletons climbing stairs in the rain" had actual skeletons climbing stairs in the rain instead of emaciated humans ambling briefly up the stairs.
This all sounds like a me problem; I was given the impression the book was something else and that shaped my reading experience. I hope this review will prevent others from experiencing the same; if you know what to expect you can better discern if this is the right book for you.
Here's what you can expect from this book: a slow, quiet pace; a man's metaphorical search for his wife (it's about 85 pages before he actually sets off); robust language, some beautiful imagery, lots of descriptions of playing bass or sailing, and a lake that occasionally grows unwieldy with high winds or large waves.
For as much as the protagonist centers his journey on finding his wife, the end of the book is unexpectedly understated.
I'd recommend this book to readers interested in a slow, meditative read grounded in reality that touches on grief and a longing for connection.
--
My deepest gratitude to Grove Atlantic for sending me a gorgeous finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 14, 2024
You know how some people are such good friends that they do whatever they can to make their besties happy? They might, for example, bring them soup when they're sick or take them out for their birthday. They might call for no reason, just to say hi.
Some might try to play matchmaker, helping their friend find true love.
I'm not that friend. I've never played Cupid, for a friend or anyone else. Nor do I pick up the phone.
I can, however, imagine how the conversation might play out, the day after a blind date.
Really Good Friend (RGF): So how did it go?? I can't wait to hear all about it, I know it must have been fabulous!!!! Now spill!!!!
Other Person (OP): Um, what do you want to know?
RGF: Everything!!! Did you like them, did you talk for hours, did you have sex???????
OP giggles, biting their thumbnail.
RGF: Oh come on, I can't stand the suspense!!!!! What did you think of Finley?!?!?!
OP: Um, well, they're, um..... nice?
That right there should tell RGF that Cupid's arrow didn't pierce any hearts. Maybe they got along, maybe they didn't. Probably they just waited it out, frequently checking their phones to pass the time.
It wasn't necessarily bad but it could have been better. OP doesn't feel like they wasted their time, because Finley was nice enough.... but there weren't any sparks.
That's how it was with me and this book. It was nice. I don't feel like I wasted my time but I never fell in love with it. Never felt anything more than mild interest, enough to turn the pages, but with frequent phone checking.
As OP might say, it wasn't Finley, it was them. And I say, it wasn't the book, it was me. I just wasn't in the mood for sweetness. From the synopsis, I thought this book would be darker.
It takes a special talent to write about such bleak times and events with a sense of hope and.... niceness.
As with the author's Virgil Wander, the story is more about the characters than the plot. Enger does characters well, fleshing them out and making them interesting. Not enough for me to really feel much for any of them, but again, that might just be me.
Some really shitty, awful things happen and yet the author writes with a sense of wholesomeness. The Road meets Little House on the Prairie.
It's not the first time I've gone on a nice-enough date with a book and I'm sure it won't be my last. If I was a really good friend, I'd know exactly who would love this book and thus whom to pass it on to.
As noted above however, I'm not an RGF.
Some might try to play matchmaker, helping their friend find true love.
I'm not that friend. I've never played Cupid, for a friend or anyone else. Nor do I pick up the phone.
I can, however, imagine how the conversation might play out, the day after a blind date.
Really Good Friend (RGF): So how did it go?? I can't wait to hear all about it, I know it must have been fabulous!!!! Now spill!!!!
Other Person (OP): Um, what do you want to know?
RGF: Everything!!! Did you like them, did you talk for hours, did you have sex???????
OP giggles, biting their thumbnail.
RGF: Oh come on, I can't stand the suspense!!!!! What did you think of Finley?!?!?!
OP: Um, well, they're, um..... nice?
That right there should tell RGF that Cupid's arrow didn't pierce any hearts. Maybe they got along, maybe they didn't. Probably they just waited it out, frequently checking their phones to pass the time.
It wasn't necessarily bad but it could have been better. OP doesn't feel like they wasted their time, because Finley was nice enough.... but there weren't any sparks.
That's how it was with me and this book. It was nice. I don't feel like I wasted my time but I never fell in love with it. Never felt anything more than mild interest, enough to turn the pages, but with frequent phone checking.
As OP might say, it wasn't Finley, it was them. And I say, it wasn't the book, it was me. I just wasn't in the mood for sweetness. From the synopsis, I thought this book would be darker.
It takes a special talent to write about such bleak times and events with a sense of hope and.... niceness.
As with the author's Virgil Wander, the story is more about the characters than the plot. Enger does characters well, fleshing them out and making them interesting. Not enough for me to really feel much for any of them, but again, that might just be me.
Some really shitty, awful things happen and yet the author writes with a sense of wholesomeness. The Road meets Little House on the Prairie.
It's not the first time I've gone on a nice-enough date with a book and I'm sure it won't be my last. If I was a really good friend, I'd know exactly who would love this book and thus whom to pass it on to.
As noted above however, I'm not an RGF.
March 29, 2024
It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on the death of a loved one, graphic violence, torture, forced confinement, the sexual abuse of a child, violent crime, lynching, grief, & others.
The good story begins with the voice of wonder speaking down from the clouds; sneaking blissfully through the wind; resounding like falling timber in the woods; offering the sounds of sonorous fantasia into the pulsing eardrum of the reader. The narrator may never be seen by the reader but for his resounding voice, which often feels too far away to chase & yet resounds with comfort, too close to release into the page.
Rainy’s narration is one of a man whom readers will love immediately. His story begins where all good stories do, with his heartstrings sewn tightly to the instrument he sets forward to play. As readers open the page to this chronology they will meet what defines the traveller’s furry; the incomparable emaciating infatuation of a story.
The cover art for this book gave me pause. I will always admit, with truth & compassion, that I judge books by their covers. I do not do this because my opinion matters more than the artist or the author whose time & investment crafted the joint nature of visual art. Rather, I do this because the beast's shell speaks to me or is silent.
I have been reading for a great many years, I state with certainty that I know when to listen to the tectonic murmur of a story & when to go on my way. This is not a science; sometimes books do not appeal to me or, in other cases, their colours seem to promise me the ruby & leave me empty-handed in the end. I enjoy reading so, it’s no love lost, either way. In this case, Enger chose wisely. The colourful painted world of his tale was brought to life on the cover & for this reason, I requested the opportunity to read what was held inside.
It was early in my reading experience that I realized that I could not eagerly run to the end of this book. It was too good to leave. I reached out to a friend, who will surely recognize himself in this section—rather what are friends for if not to support one’s adulation of reading? As it so happens, I knew he would love this book as much as me, yet, I was hesitant to tell him so because, at that point, I had only read about ten percent of the 300+ pages.
Every sentence reminded me of the joy I felt as a child, reading the adventurous series of books « Amos Daragon : Porteur des masques » (2003) by Bryan Perro. As an adult, I felt that the years spent reading as a child shaped the world around me & I never stopped chasing the format that contained the stories I adored.
In adulthood, adventures & turmoil, hidden treasure, fantasy & lore, often disappear into the backdrop. Yet, readers of these genres, such as myself & my friend, often make our way indirectly to the origin of what was for us, the beginning of enchantment.
Enger welcomed me into his story after time away from such imaginativeness. The introduction will allow readers to ease their way into the milky sautéd waters of the Great Lakes which are home to me & my country’s neighbour. The story will be a dystopian nightmare, yet not ghoulish like the fanged villains who bomb the houses where children live, yet seething in a way that reminds readers why dreams of adventure are so deeply important.
In its essence, this is a story about death & grieving, & the ways in which our person dies a slow death waiting to rejoin those whom we have loved in this life. Rainy, the main character, is a man who is kind, he is tender & funny, smart & musically inclined. His narration of the story comes from a point in the future. The reader is unsure of why Rainy has chosen to share his recollections or if he knows that we are listening. However, these details are not as important as they may seem; Rainy has something to share & so he does. This excursion began when his beloved wife, Lark, was murdered in their home by a group of government bruisers who ransacked the house in search of a runaway prisoner.
I find this story difficult to review. I felt terribly sad when Lark was murdered & yet, I hardly knew her. In fact, Lark wasn’t a real person at all, she is a character in a book. Her character was warm, cunning, savvy & humorous, she was gentle & firm, empathetic & silly. Lark felt like the rain over dry crops; she was a person who brought life into the story by the mere mention of her person. It is no mystery to me why I felt so positively devastated by her untimely demise. Lark’s character enters the story & acts as the light that shines the way for Rainy. Their marriage is one that would make the most claustrophobic covet the cupboard to feel such snug warmth.
Lark was a keener of delicate & valuable books—readers will love her for this fact alone. She owned a shop in the town & roamed the country in search of estate sales & delicate treasures she may amass for her collection. In the world of this story, such treasures were rare & often miscategorized for their lack of immediate value, such as one would find in a tool or wire.
I suppose in some ways, I wanted the opportunity to visit Lark. I did not forget where I sat while reading this book nor did I envy the characters their world; a society in which rampant triads of gore shimmered in every horizon & sunrise. Yet, had the opportunity to visit her little shop of wonders been granted, I would have taken it. You see, I cannot pass up the chance to see what stories are beloved by another. Here we find ourselves at the heart of the story.
Though this book deals primarily with violence, the adventure of finding a person one has lost to death, & the trials of surviving in a gruesomely barbaric society; this story also teases the reader with sweets in the form of tales & first drafts, of chronicles that the bind knows the reader cannot pass up. The title of this book is the same as the one that Lark has pursued throughout her adult life. I am compassionate of her endless & tiresome travels, attempting to obtain the precious gem that has escaped her. When finally she finds it, her death follows soon after.
What is the purpose of this book? What is the goal when including a secondary author in the torment of grief that overshadows all other things? Readers may find that Enger confuses himself by encouraging Rainy to carry a book that Lark loved & yet never had the opportunity to ruminate on, throughout the months of his travels in search of her spirit reincarnate. Veteran readers, or readers who are people with days under their skies & dozens of meetings with the moon, will not begrudge Enger or Rainy their small comfort.
As referenced earlier, the goons who were responsible for Lark’s murder were chasing an escaped prisoner whose name was Kellan. His character is flawed, rather sullen, sulky & shy. However, Kellan is also patient, insightful, & kind. Though the reader never learns the details of Rainy’s age, they may come to look at him as a man in the middle; a person who has lived long enough to know the patterns & flow of life but who has enough spirit left in him to try something new & tempt fate, one more time.
The relationship that these two characters share is short-lived. Kellan runs away in the middle of Lark’s birthday party & Rainy sees him only upon arriving on the government’s prison ship. Yet, their time is well-spent & readers are given the layout of the viper’s nest that sits quietly in the tall grass.
Though I do not think it is my place—a reviewer’s place—to recap the story in its entirety, I hope this morsel suffices for readers who have yet to read the book, to engage their curiosity further by going to the source. Enger writes a story that lingers in the mind. Every single character is a delight, even when they act as the antagonist to the melodramatic chants of the protagonist.
The feat of writing an adventure the likes of which rivals Homer’s “The Odyssey” (725 BCE), is incomparably difficult. Readers seldom forget themselves in their reading experience. Those who do are perhaps reading for escapism or are less critical of the world built around them; none of which are bad things. To be met with the dedicated talent of an author who understands their characters & the shadow figures of their imaginary world is a treat one savours upon encountering. Enger is an author whom I will seek out again.
What made this story so enthralling had perhaps less to do with the plot than it did with the characters. Rainy was not without his faults & none of the secondary characters were altogether trustworthy. In scenes, the reader meets people who are abusive, cruel, & tormented. The next chapters gently untangle a forgotten memory that Rainy wishes to share & it seems that the story is forgiven for the introduction of an annoying child or of a dirty malevolent predator.
Just as life is flawed & faulted by the very nature of its existence, so too was this story. The flow of the narrative captured what it meant to mourn a loss that was stolen; a thieved facet of what made life worth living.
The imagery presented throughout Rainy’s travels reminded me of home while also speaking to me in a language foreign to my understanding. The claim of this being a dystopian novel is factually correct, though I would hesitate to state that devourers of this genre of story will be met with their most beloved in this bind. Rather, this story appeals to readers because of its adventurous nature; wandering minds & analytic thinkers will have something to devour & deconstruct without necessarily stepping outside the confines of comfort.
The equation presented is one that a tired & true reader may have encountered before. In some ways, this reminded me of John Langan’s “The Fisherman” (2017), which is how I sold it to my friend, telling him that in this book he would find the classic storytelling of ancient philosophers & the clawing nature of the magistral beast that we both loved in Langan’s fantastical horror.
These points are not meant to discourage readers, on the contrary, I believe that one has certainly come upon a book that missed the heart of what their reader’s mind was seeking to find & I believe that I have been satiated by reading Enger’s book. Certainly, the storytelling style of a personal narration, mixed with memories, side notes featuring feelings, & characters the reader will never become acquainted with firsthand, may lead some readers to flounder; What is the purpose in so much detail?
While I reference my nameless friend so often it is not without purpose. There were times while reading when I wondered if my grasp of English was strong enough or if I had enough life experience to empathize with Rainy. On other occasions, I felt overexposed to feelings I kept locked away or memories that reminded me of my existence. Though I shall never come out & say the things that make me who I am & very rarely hint at them, the books that I appreciate—the stories that I love—do that for me.
To share such high esteem with another person is quite a vulnerable position. Rainy spends an entire novel speaking to the reader because they are a stranger. He knows how he may sound & he understands that he will come across, as sometimes shallow, & sometimes a silly dreamer, but he shares his experiences because this part of him has lived in his person for so long, & it has come time to set it free.
I knew I loved Rainy immediately & I rather bemoan myself for writing that sentiment here because I do not want you to know this. Rainy reminds me quite intimately of the hope I held a very long time ago. He remained nearly faceless throughout this entire story because, as all great love stories go, we met in the written word & we shall never have the chance to meet with eyes locked in understanding.
His deep-rooted admiration, tenderness, respect—his love—for Lark opened a soft spot for him in my mind & it was overwhelming to see him remain a man that a reader could trust, flaws & all. What kind of reader does this make me? Perhaps in the same way that Rainy sought refuge with the quietly gentle couple in the remote town near a Great Lake, so too have I tilted my head upward to meet the bear waiting for me in the forest.
Ultimately, as I wrote out my recommendation to my friend—a person who knows me well enough now to understand the grappling nature of sickness that cut off crumbs of paper for him to follow when it was his time—I remembered myself as a child, reading the great books that shadowed the hallways of the houses I frequented & the people whose minds they lived within.
A recommendation is a person’s way of saying; in this delicate treasure, you may find me, alongside the uncharacteristically earnest people who colour the ink. Perhaps, I feel brave because I read a story about a man who could not escape his grief. Maybe, in some way, this story was made magical because it reminded me of something else, or because the prose was more beautiful than a naturally grown rose, or the morning song of a bird waking one from slumber.
Certainly, the pilgrimage of grief exists alongside Rainy for the rest of his life. His story does not end as the reader closes the page to stare into silence. Rather, snippets of his joy, his cool water resounding mornings, his riddles & strums, the waves of his forearms & Ursidae heart, beat into the night like a drum whose belly is soft as the fur that once adorned it; tanned with the sorrow of a long & succulently devious life.
Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, & Leif Enger for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The good story begins with the voice of wonder speaking down from the clouds; sneaking blissfully through the wind; resounding like falling timber in the woods; offering the sounds of sonorous fantasia into the pulsing eardrum of the reader. The narrator may never be seen by the reader but for his resounding voice, which often feels too far away to chase & yet resounds with comfort, too close to release into the page.
Rainy’s narration is one of a man whom readers will love immediately. His story begins where all good stories do, with his heartstrings sewn tightly to the instrument he sets forward to play. As readers open the page to this chronology they will meet what defines the traveller’s furry; the incomparable emaciating infatuation of a story.
The cover art for this book gave me pause. I will always admit, with truth & compassion, that I judge books by their covers. I do not do this because my opinion matters more than the artist or the author whose time & investment crafted the joint nature of visual art. Rather, I do this because the beast's shell speaks to me or is silent.
I have been reading for a great many years, I state with certainty that I know when to listen to the tectonic murmur of a story & when to go on my way. This is not a science; sometimes books do not appeal to me or, in other cases, their colours seem to promise me the ruby & leave me empty-handed in the end. I enjoy reading so, it’s no love lost, either way. In this case, Enger chose wisely. The colourful painted world of his tale was brought to life on the cover & for this reason, I requested the opportunity to read what was held inside.
It was early in my reading experience that I realized that I could not eagerly run to the end of this book. It was too good to leave. I reached out to a friend, who will surely recognize himself in this section—rather what are friends for if not to support one’s adulation of reading? As it so happens, I knew he would love this book as much as me, yet, I was hesitant to tell him so because, at that point, I had only read about ten percent of the 300+ pages.
Every sentence reminded me of the joy I felt as a child, reading the adventurous series of books « Amos Daragon : Porteur des masques » (2003) by Bryan Perro. As an adult, I felt that the years spent reading as a child shaped the world around me & I never stopped chasing the format that contained the stories I adored.
In adulthood, adventures & turmoil, hidden treasure, fantasy & lore, often disappear into the backdrop. Yet, readers of these genres, such as myself & my friend, often make our way indirectly to the origin of what was for us, the beginning of enchantment.
Enger welcomed me into his story after time away from such imaginativeness. The introduction will allow readers to ease their way into the milky sautéd waters of the Great Lakes which are home to me & my country’s neighbour. The story will be a dystopian nightmare, yet not ghoulish like the fanged villains who bomb the houses where children live, yet seething in a way that reminds readers why dreams of adventure are so deeply important.
In its essence, this is a story about death & grieving, & the ways in which our person dies a slow death waiting to rejoin those whom we have loved in this life. Rainy, the main character, is a man who is kind, he is tender & funny, smart & musically inclined. His narration of the story comes from a point in the future. The reader is unsure of why Rainy has chosen to share his recollections or if he knows that we are listening. However, these details are not as important as they may seem; Rainy has something to share & so he does. This excursion began when his beloved wife, Lark, was murdered in their home by a group of government bruisers who ransacked the house in search of a runaway prisoner.
I find this story difficult to review. I felt terribly sad when Lark was murdered & yet, I hardly knew her. In fact, Lark wasn’t a real person at all, she is a character in a book. Her character was warm, cunning, savvy & humorous, she was gentle & firm, empathetic & silly. Lark felt like the rain over dry crops; she was a person who brought life into the story by the mere mention of her person. It is no mystery to me why I felt so positively devastated by her untimely demise. Lark’s character enters the story & acts as the light that shines the way for Rainy. Their marriage is one that would make the most claustrophobic covet the cupboard to feel such snug warmth.
Lark was a keener of delicate & valuable books—readers will love her for this fact alone. She owned a shop in the town & roamed the country in search of estate sales & delicate treasures she may amass for her collection. In the world of this story, such treasures were rare & often miscategorized for their lack of immediate value, such as one would find in a tool or wire.
I suppose in some ways, I wanted the opportunity to visit Lark. I did not forget where I sat while reading this book nor did I envy the characters their world; a society in which rampant triads of gore shimmered in every horizon & sunrise. Yet, had the opportunity to visit her little shop of wonders been granted, I would have taken it. You see, I cannot pass up the chance to see what stories are beloved by another. Here we find ourselves at the heart of the story.
Though this book deals primarily with violence, the adventure of finding a person one has lost to death, & the trials of surviving in a gruesomely barbaric society; this story also teases the reader with sweets in the form of tales & first drafts, of chronicles that the bind knows the reader cannot pass up. The title of this book is the same as the one that Lark has pursued throughout her adult life. I am compassionate of her endless & tiresome travels, attempting to obtain the precious gem that has escaped her. When finally she finds it, her death follows soon after.
What is the purpose of this book? What is the goal when including a secondary author in the torment of grief that overshadows all other things? Readers may find that Enger confuses himself by encouraging Rainy to carry a book that Lark loved & yet never had the opportunity to ruminate on, throughout the months of his travels in search of her spirit reincarnate. Veteran readers, or readers who are people with days under their skies & dozens of meetings with the moon, will not begrudge Enger or Rainy their small comfort.
As referenced earlier, the goons who were responsible for Lark’s murder were chasing an escaped prisoner whose name was Kellan. His character is flawed, rather sullen, sulky & shy. However, Kellan is also patient, insightful, & kind. Though the reader never learns the details of Rainy’s age, they may come to look at him as a man in the middle; a person who has lived long enough to know the patterns & flow of life but who has enough spirit left in him to try something new & tempt fate, one more time.
The relationship that these two characters share is short-lived. Kellan runs away in the middle of Lark’s birthday party & Rainy sees him only upon arriving on the government’s prison ship. Yet, their time is well-spent & readers are given the layout of the viper’s nest that sits quietly in the tall grass.
Though I do not think it is my place—a reviewer’s place—to recap the story in its entirety, I hope this morsel suffices for readers who have yet to read the book, to engage their curiosity further by going to the source. Enger writes a story that lingers in the mind. Every single character is a delight, even when they act as the antagonist to the melodramatic chants of the protagonist.
The feat of writing an adventure the likes of which rivals Homer’s “The Odyssey” (725 BCE), is incomparably difficult. Readers seldom forget themselves in their reading experience. Those who do are perhaps reading for escapism or are less critical of the world built around them; none of which are bad things. To be met with the dedicated talent of an author who understands their characters & the shadow figures of their imaginary world is a treat one savours upon encountering. Enger is an author whom I will seek out again.
What made this story so enthralling had perhaps less to do with the plot than it did with the characters. Rainy was not without his faults & none of the secondary characters were altogether trustworthy. In scenes, the reader meets people who are abusive, cruel, & tormented. The next chapters gently untangle a forgotten memory that Rainy wishes to share & it seems that the story is forgiven for the introduction of an annoying child or of a dirty malevolent predator.
Just as life is flawed & faulted by the very nature of its existence, so too was this story. The flow of the narrative captured what it meant to mourn a loss that was stolen; a thieved facet of what made life worth living.
The imagery presented throughout Rainy’s travels reminded me of home while also speaking to me in a language foreign to my understanding. The claim of this being a dystopian novel is factually correct, though I would hesitate to state that devourers of this genre of story will be met with their most beloved in this bind. Rather, this story appeals to readers because of its adventurous nature; wandering minds & analytic thinkers will have something to devour & deconstruct without necessarily stepping outside the confines of comfort.
The equation presented is one that a tired & true reader may have encountered before. In some ways, this reminded me of John Langan’s “The Fisherman” (2017), which is how I sold it to my friend, telling him that in this book he would find the classic storytelling of ancient philosophers & the clawing nature of the magistral beast that we both loved in Langan’s fantastical horror.
These points are not meant to discourage readers, on the contrary, I believe that one has certainly come upon a book that missed the heart of what their reader’s mind was seeking to find & I believe that I have been satiated by reading Enger’s book. Certainly, the storytelling style of a personal narration, mixed with memories, side notes featuring feelings, & characters the reader will never become acquainted with firsthand, may lead some readers to flounder; What is the purpose in so much detail?
While I reference my nameless friend so often it is not without purpose. There were times while reading when I wondered if my grasp of English was strong enough or if I had enough life experience to empathize with Rainy. On other occasions, I felt overexposed to feelings I kept locked away or memories that reminded me of my existence. Though I shall never come out & say the things that make me who I am & very rarely hint at them, the books that I appreciate—the stories that I love—do that for me.
To share such high esteem with another person is quite a vulnerable position. Rainy spends an entire novel speaking to the reader because they are a stranger. He knows how he may sound & he understands that he will come across, as sometimes shallow, & sometimes a silly dreamer, but he shares his experiences because this part of him has lived in his person for so long, & it has come time to set it free.
I knew I loved Rainy immediately & I rather bemoan myself for writing that sentiment here because I do not want you to know this. Rainy reminds me quite intimately of the hope I held a very long time ago. He remained nearly faceless throughout this entire story because, as all great love stories go, we met in the written word & we shall never have the chance to meet with eyes locked in understanding.
His deep-rooted admiration, tenderness, respect—his love—for Lark opened a soft spot for him in my mind & it was overwhelming to see him remain a man that a reader could trust, flaws & all. What kind of reader does this make me? Perhaps in the same way that Rainy sought refuge with the quietly gentle couple in the remote town near a Great Lake, so too have I tilted my head upward to meet the bear waiting for me in the forest.
Ultimately, as I wrote out my recommendation to my friend—a person who knows me well enough now to understand the grappling nature of sickness that cut off crumbs of paper for him to follow when it was his time—I remembered myself as a child, reading the great books that shadowed the hallways of the houses I frequented & the people whose minds they lived within.
A recommendation is a person’s way of saying; in this delicate treasure, you may find me, alongside the uncharacteristically earnest people who colour the ink. Perhaps, I feel brave because I read a story about a man who could not escape his grief. Maybe, in some way, this story was made magical because it reminded me of something else, or because the prose was more beautiful than a naturally grown rose, or the morning song of a bird waking one from slumber.
Certainly, the pilgrimage of grief exists alongside Rainy for the rest of his life. His story does not end as the reader closes the page to stare into silence. Rather, snippets of his joy, his cool water resounding mornings, his riddles & strums, the waves of his forearms & Ursidae heart, beat into the night like a drum whose belly is soft as the fur that once adorned it; tanned with the sorrow of a long & succulently devious life.
Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, & Leif Enger for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2024
I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. Enger’s character development, wordsmithing, and futuristic backdrop made this book such a compelling read. I think it’s his best yet.
April 12, 2024
Beautifully written, this novel is as heart-wrenching as it is quietly inspiring.
"I Cheerfully Refuse" is set in a near-future America where societal collapse has ensued from fateful, disastrous, and irreversible climate change, leading to a dystopian reality governed by a corrupt elite. Through an imaginative loose retelling of the story of Orpheus, our main character Rainy embarks on a journey across Lake Superior that transforms from a personal escape from violence into a broader odyssey that sees him and a young girl, Sol, inadvertently becoming beacons of hope in a desperate, lawless world.
Leif Enger has written a narrative rich in lyrical prose exploring themes of deep love, loss, resilience, and the indomitable human spirit. Lake Superior was so vividly described and held such a prominent impact that I felt it was an independent character. Each of the other characters felt like a real person you might meet post-apocalypse, though not all you would want to. After a slower-paced start, the journey Rainy and Sol take is compelling and paints a rich mosaic of humanity.
For me, there were parallels to stories in Last of Us (show - I never played the original game), Andor (show - I don’t even know if there is a game/book), and the Greek myth of Orpheus. Additionally, I quite like this review from the WSJ, where other good parallels are made.
All in all, this will be going into my 5⭐️ books of 2024 list.
Thanks to Netgalley, RB Media, Leif Enger, and David Aaron Baker for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
"I Cheerfully Refuse" is set in a near-future America where societal collapse has ensued from fateful, disastrous, and irreversible climate change, leading to a dystopian reality governed by a corrupt elite. Through an imaginative loose retelling of the story of Orpheus, our main character Rainy embarks on a journey across Lake Superior that transforms from a personal escape from violence into a broader odyssey that sees him and a young girl, Sol, inadvertently becoming beacons of hope in a desperate, lawless world.
Leif Enger has written a narrative rich in lyrical prose exploring themes of deep love, loss, resilience, and the indomitable human spirit. Lake Superior was so vividly described and held such a prominent impact that I felt it was an independent character. Each of the other characters felt like a real person you might meet post-apocalypse, though not all you would want to. After a slower-paced start, the journey Rainy and Sol take is compelling and paints a rich mosaic of humanity.
For me, there were parallels to stories in Last of Us (show - I never played the original game), Andor (show - I don’t even know if there is a game/book), and the Greek myth of Orpheus. Additionally, I quite like this review from the WSJ, where other good parallels are made.
All in all, this will be going into my 5⭐️ books of 2024 list.
Thanks to Netgalley, RB Media, Leif Enger, and David Aaron Baker for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 1, 2024
"What scares me is the notion we are all one rotten moment, one crushed hope or hollow stomach from stuffing someone blameless in a cage."
Enger's writing is a brilliant literary volley of light and dark, both anthem and dirge. "I Cheerfully Refuse" is part dystopian thriller, part mystery, part nautical tale, part love story, part ode to books, and 100% magical. I can't recommend it highly enough. Move it to the top of your to read pile immediately!
Enger's writing is a brilliant literary volley of light and dark, both anthem and dirge. "I Cheerfully Refuse" is part dystopian thriller, part mystery, part nautical tale, part love story, part ode to books, and 100% magical. I can't recommend it highly enough. Move it to the top of your to read pile immediately!
April 15, 2024
First off, I love the title and the beautiful book cover. "I Cheerfully Refuse" is the title of a book that plays a recurring role in the story. Also, it may refer to the main character's (Rainy) refusal to be crushed by his circumstances.
When the novel opens, 43 year old Rainy is living with his wife (Lark), whom he adores. It is about forty years into the future. Their society has become dystopian. Lawlessness is rampant. Resources and wealth are controlled by fifteen families who form an oligarchy. Literacy is frowned upon. More and more, citizens are choosing to kill themselves with a drug called Willow. Despite all of this, Rainy and his wife have created a happy life for themselves. He is a painter whose hobby is playing the electric bass guitar in a band. She owns a bookstore that gives her purpose and joy.
Rainy's situation changes radically, one-fourth into the story. He soon finds himself running away from people who intend to hurt him. His wife had earlier taught Rainy how to sail. Rainy uses their boat to escape and travels the waves and fearsome storms of Lake Superior. Lake Superior becomes the setting for this tale.
Here are some of my reactions. The author writes beautifully. This is a thoughtful book. I found it to be too slow-paced and meandering. Rainy is very likeable - a big bear of a man with a kind soul. I enjoyed the special place that his music has in the story (and loved the relationship Rainey has with his wife). However, I have difficulty with dystopias, which affected my over-all enjoyment of the novel.
3.8 stars
When the novel opens, 43 year old Rainy is living with his wife (Lark), whom he adores. It is about forty years into the future. Their society has become dystopian. Lawlessness is rampant. Resources and wealth are controlled by fifteen families who form an oligarchy. Literacy is frowned upon. More and more, citizens are choosing to kill themselves with a drug called Willow. Despite all of this, Rainy and his wife have created a happy life for themselves. He is a painter whose hobby is playing the electric bass guitar in a band. She owns a bookstore that gives her purpose and joy.
Rainy's situation changes radically, one-fourth into the story. He soon finds himself running away from people who intend to hurt him. His wife had earlier taught Rainy how to sail. Rainy uses their boat to escape and travels the waves and fearsome storms of Lake Superior. Lake Superior becomes the setting for this tale.
Here are some of my reactions. The author writes beautifully. This is a thoughtful book. I found it to be too slow-paced and meandering. Rainy is very likeable - a big bear of a man with a kind soul. I enjoyed the special place that his music has in the story (and loved the relationship Rainey has with his wife). However, I have difficulty with dystopias, which affected my over-all enjoyment of the novel.
3.8 stars
July 12, 2024
Story is not for me. Hoped it would be better, DNF.
April 11, 2024
This book is hard for me to rate. It is my first Leif Enger book and while I love the imagery and emotional descriptions, I felt like I was only able to read bits and pieces of the story.
It was as if someone had removed whole chapters and I had missed important plot info. I wish the story had been more fleshed out. Maybe explain how the earth developed into the extreme disarray that it has become in book. I understand that the main reason is because of climate change, but why the collapse of government and order? Why are whole communities cut off from each other? Why were people disappearing?
I loved Lark. She was my favorite character and she is killed at the beginning of the story, never to return. There is a tease of an idea that she may be found in a distant realm or dimension. This idea comes from Lark herself, when early on in the book, she claims to see the long dead author of her favorite book, “ I Cheerfully Refuse. ” But what was the book about? Why is it contraband?
I am obviously an outlier on this one. I just wish there would have been a storyline I could follow but not having read many dystopian novels, it may just be that I don’t get it!!
That cover though, gorgeous!!
It was as if someone had removed whole chapters and I had missed important plot info. I wish the story had been more fleshed out. Maybe explain how the earth developed into the extreme disarray that it has become in book. I understand that the main reason is because of climate change, but why the collapse of government and order? Why are whole communities cut off from each other? Why were people disappearing?
I loved Lark. She was my favorite character and she is killed at the beginning of the story, never to return. There is a tease of an idea that she may be found in a distant realm or dimension. This idea comes from Lark herself, when early on in the book, she claims to see the long dead author of her favorite book, “ I Cheerfully Refuse. ” But what was the book about? Why is it contraband?
I am obviously an outlier on this one. I just wish there would have been a storyline I could follow but not having read many dystopian novels, it may just be that I don’t get it!!
That cover though, gorgeous!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2024
I loved Enger's Peace Like a River, and his writing is just as brilliant in this dystopian novel set in the near future. It was strange and unpredictable, which makes sense considering the overall themes, but it was the characters (Rainy, Lark, and Sol) that truly shined. There were many downers in this book and at times, the plot seemed to meander like Rainy's boat when it was carried away by the current, but Enger portrayed the generosity and goodness of the human spirit with such subtle tenderness that I saw the beauty underlying the darkness and loss.
Read
November 3, 2023Leif Enger is just the best. How on earth I’ve become lucky enough to read his newest this early, I will never know. While I usually reserve a review for close to pub day, I’ m doing this here now in case this story interests you, but you’ve never read him before. You’ve got time.
Peace Like a River is a modern classic, and Virgil Wander is a vibing stunner. If you love those, you’ll want to read his newest. I must say, though, don’t come here with intent on giving a star rating. That’s not what you come here for.
There were a hundred gorgeous pages that lead up to an unexpected, wandering “Quixotian” novel I may not have read without the set up we are given. Though… Being set up for one thrilling novel and getting another? Something much more lost and wandering and less assured in its beauty than it initially started out being? How much like real life is that? And how fitting for such a novel.
Enger’s newest bursts with beautiful sentences and full-fleshed characters in a story that left me wanting in a way I won’t critique but will understand that, rather, I was incorporated into the experience of Rainy, a man who felt the same a thousand times over. Gorgeous novel, though in a way I did not expect.
Some of my favorite quotes from the ARC (remember, not final, so unofficial, but still officially beautiful language.)
“I am always last to see the beauty I inhabit. “
“Why do this to yourself you say, and I reply Why not? As enemies go, despair has every ounce of my respect.”
“It's taken all my life to learn protection is the promise you can't make. It sounds absolute, and you mean it and believe it, but that vow is provisional and makeshift and no god ever lived who could keep it half the time.”
“I banged and barged through dozens and hundreds of books discovered in my eavesdropping sessions, not just adventures but also poetry, sweet Jesus, by Greeks and Brits and Japanese whose silky names I never can remember. Did I understand it? Not by half, but when it thunders you know you chest is shaking.”
Peace Like a River is a modern classic, and Virgil Wander is a vibing stunner. If you love those, you’ll want to read his newest. I must say, though, don’t come here with intent on giving a star rating. That’s not what you come here for.
There were a hundred gorgeous pages that lead up to an unexpected, wandering “Quixotian” novel I may not have read without the set up we are given. Though… Being set up for one thrilling novel and getting another? Something much more lost and wandering and less assured in its beauty than it initially started out being? How much like real life is that? And how fitting for such a novel.
Enger’s newest bursts with beautiful sentences and full-fleshed characters in a story that left me wanting in a way I won’t critique but will understand that, rather, I was incorporated into the experience of Rainy, a man who felt the same a thousand times over. Gorgeous novel, though in a way I did not expect.
Some of my favorite quotes from the ARC (remember, not final, so unofficial, but still officially beautiful language.)
“I am always last to see the beauty I inhabit. “
“Why do this to yourself you say, and I reply Why not? As enemies go, despair has every ounce of my respect.”
“It's taken all my life to learn protection is the promise you can't make. It sounds absolute, and you mean it and believe it, but that vow is provisional and makeshift and no god ever lived who could keep it half the time.”
“I banged and barged through dozens and hundreds of books discovered in my eavesdropping sessions, not just adventures but also poetry, sweet Jesus, by Greeks and Brits and Japanese whose silky names I never can remember. Did I understand it? Not by half, but when it thunders you know you chest is shaking.”
April 28, 2024
“If you're heading out to sea to find the spirit of your beloved, then go while something rare and infinitely lucky is hanging in the sky.”
May 21, 2024
How does Enger do it? How does he write books that are simultaneously about the small pleasures of a simple life (a good breakfast, a chat with a friend, sitting on a porch in the evening) and also about huge, world-shaking events like murder, or tramautic brain injuries?! If you asked me to describe any of his books, I'd be like, "Oh, this is great, it's so beautiful, it's about this young boy who admires his father, and the boy has asthma . . ." or "Oh, it's about this gentle giant of a man who plays the bass and whose wife runs a small bookshop . . ." At no point in the description would I say, "The boy's brother is wanted and they're trying to race the cops across the Badlands to catch him first, also his father is a literal saint? Maybe?" or "It's set in the near future and civilization is crumbling and there's murder and medical experimentation." (These books are Peace Like a River and I Cheerfully Refuse, btw.)
I mean. How does he do it?
This book is gorgeous. It's glorious. It's quiet. It's full of music.
It made me want to fry some eggs in butter and eat them with a piece of homemade bread before sitting down to savor a book of poetry.
Also it stressed me the hell out because it's about a very real possible future in which the proudly illiterate bomb bookstores, and booksellers and librarians try to save books from "fundie bonfires." A future where the disparity between the 1% and the rest of the world is so extreme that one of the most steady jobs is a six year indentured servitude gig that will most likely involve being given a drug to make you compliant. A drug that is also given to many children if they score too high on the "feral scale."
And yet I wouldn't say it's science fiction. It's just . . . a story about humanity. About society. About one man on a journey, on a sailboat.
I mean. How does he do it?
This book is gorgeous. It's glorious. It's quiet. It's full of music.
It made me want to fry some eggs in butter and eat them with a piece of homemade bread before sitting down to savor a book of poetry.
Also it stressed me the hell out because it's about a very real possible future in which the proudly illiterate bomb bookstores, and booksellers and librarians try to save books from "fundie bonfires." A future where the disparity between the 1% and the rest of the world is so extreme that one of the most steady jobs is a six year indentured servitude gig that will most likely involve being given a drug to make you compliant. A drug that is also given to many children if they score too high on the "feral scale."
And yet I wouldn't say it's science fiction. It's just . . . a story about humanity. About society. About one man on a journey, on a sailboat.
April 12, 2024
Oh goodness this was painful. I picked this up, to be honest, because I loved the cover 😂. And I also tend to enjoy dystopian fiction.
It started off interesting enough for the first couple of chapters, but I never really got into it, and never connected with the characters. Fairly quickly I was finding myself zoning out and skimming more than reading. It’s VERY slow paced. (After struggling with keeping my attention on it, I tried switching to audiobook and the narration is insanely slow too. I sped it up to 1.30x and that was STILL very slow but I couldn’t speed it up more than that without it being too distorted.) I usually enjoy slower paced books but this was rough.
It’s a dystopian world but I never understood why or how it got that way. The plot meanders aimlessly, is super difficult to follow and it’s very depressing. You expect a dystopian novel to be depressing to an extent of course, but there’s usually a POINT to the depressing elements and there never seemed to be one in this. It was JUST depressing.
It reminded me of James Joyce but with more punctuation, and not on purpose.
It started off interesting enough for the first couple of chapters, but I never really got into it, and never connected with the characters. Fairly quickly I was finding myself zoning out and skimming more than reading. It’s VERY slow paced. (After struggling with keeping my attention on it, I tried switching to audiobook and the narration is insanely slow too. I sped it up to 1.30x and that was STILL very slow but I couldn’t speed it up more than that without it being too distorted.) I usually enjoy slower paced books but this was rough.
It’s a dystopian world but I never understood why or how it got that way. The plot meanders aimlessly, is super difficult to follow and it’s very depressing. You expect a dystopian novel to be depressing to an extent of course, but there’s usually a POINT to the depressing elements and there never seemed to be one in this. It was JUST depressing.
It reminded me of James Joyce but with more punctuation, and not on purpose.
April 23, 2024
Beneath the dust jacket you will find a cover of Prussian blue; cotton pages, and a story to make your heart ache for the good we take for granted: canned ravioli, tomatoes and bread, books, and a neighborhood.
Even a Church you can bear.
Even a Church you can bear.
February 21, 2024
Another beautiful book by Leif Enger. Haunting.
May 6, 2024
The love that Rainy has for his wife, Lark, is probably the most beautiful emotion ever captured in print. Enger somehow makes this strong bear-of-a-man seem stronger through his open exhibition of his adoration and his deep respect for her every trait.
Set in a not-so-distant future, where climate change has taken hold of the Earth and the 1% have taken everything else, life on Lake Superior is a daily challenge. Food and fuel are scarce. Storms are frequent and fierce. Rainy sets out on his own Odyssey in search of answers, purpose and safe harbour. Accompanied by the music of his beloved bass guitar and, eventually, the company of Sol, a young girl he rescues, Rainy takes his little sailboat on a vast adventure.
Although this is a tale of adventure, it is told in such a lyrical, pensive way. It felt like someone had experienced all of this and was now reflecting back on it in a fireside, storytelling fashion. You know that it will all work out in the end.
Enger is a new author for me and I will read everything he writes. And the 5-star audio was read by David Aaron Baker, who may have surpassed Mark Deakins as my favourite audio actor. (sorry, Mark)
Set in a not-so-distant future, where climate change has taken hold of the Earth and the 1% have taken everything else, life on Lake Superior is a daily challenge. Food and fuel are scarce. Storms are frequent and fierce. Rainy sets out on his own Odyssey in search of answers, purpose and safe harbour. Accompanied by the music of his beloved bass guitar and, eventually, the company of Sol, a young girl he rescues, Rainy takes his little sailboat on a vast adventure.
Although this is a tale of adventure, it is told in such a lyrical, pensive way. It felt like someone had experienced all of this and was now reflecting back on it in a fireside, storytelling fashion. You know that it will all work out in the end.
Enger is a new author for me and I will read everything he writes. And the 5-star audio was read by David Aaron Baker, who may have surpassed Mark Deakins as my favourite audio actor. (sorry, Mark)
Shelved as 'dnf-abandoned'
May 16, 2024I read more than half and just couldn't get interested. I loved Peace Like a River and liked Virgil Wander. This has some wonderful passages, but I feel like I'm just going from scene to scene (through stormy seas) and have lost interest in any destination. Lots of people liked it - read their reviews. 😊
March 30, 2024
I Cheerfully Refuse is now my new favorite saying and also a book that captivated and slightly frustrated me. We begin with a stranger’s arrival to the home of a couple. He carries with him the book “I Cheerfully Refuse”, the book the wife, Lark, has been looking for a copy of for decades. It takes about 25% for things to start happening, but something finally does in connection with this book and we realize we are in a dystopian world where evil reigns. Her husband, and our lead, Rainy, and ends up on an Odyssey. Upon his departure on a small boat we quickly realize he is in danger.
I don’t typically like adventure stories, and Rainy’s Odyssey is absolutely an adventure story, but a lot of this worked for me. The writing is absolutely stunning and Enger manages to build such tension despite a getaway vehicle that can go a max 7mph. The action is in the way he tells this story. I loved the companion he picks up along the way, a young girl named Sol and an absolutely remarkable secondary character. But here’s the thing. I was SO invested in this grief odyssey and his relationship with both Lark and Sol. But this is a story about Rainy and we don’t get the connections I was expecting, hoping for, and that I believe were necessary to fully accomplish an Odyssey. Nonetheless, this is a gorgeous book and one I think I’ll be thinking about for awhile.
Thank you to the publisher for the chance to read and review this ahead of its publication this coming Tuesday. Leif Enger’s Peace Like a River is a favorite for many, and I’ll be so eager to hear how everyone likes I Cheerfully Refuse. If you don’t read it, at least use that in a sentence.
I don’t typically like adventure stories, and Rainy’s Odyssey is absolutely an adventure story, but a lot of this worked for me. The writing is absolutely stunning and Enger manages to build such tension despite a getaway vehicle that can go a max 7mph. The action is in the way he tells this story. I loved the companion he picks up along the way, a young girl named Sol and an absolutely remarkable secondary character. But here’s the thing. I was SO invested in this grief odyssey and his relationship with both Lark and Sol. But this is a story about Rainy and we don’t get the connections I was expecting, hoping for, and that I believe were necessary to fully accomplish an Odyssey. Nonetheless, this is a gorgeous book and one I think I’ll be thinking about for awhile.
Thank you to the publisher for the chance to read and review this ahead of its publication this coming Tuesday. Leif Enger’s Peace Like a River is a favorite for many, and I’ll be so eager to hear how everyone likes I Cheerfully Refuse. If you don’t read it, at least use that in a sentence.
June 5, 2024
This is not my kind of book. I don't read dystopian. Hardly ever.
Yet. From the first line I was had. . .landed like a catfish, the one next to the bloated floating body. Oh, not the headless one. But maybe. . .? I envied Lark, hard. We all need a hopeful Rainy in our life, who would cross the raging world to find his Lark. Yet. It's this world he's interested in, this moment, this one moment to be present, attitude forward, mind thoroughly engaged, and faith in his fellow beings until they prove otherwise. And when they do, you just keep swimming, just keep swimming, Dory-style.
The darkest part is when you realize that all this future stuff the author keeps packing around you, like gifts at a party, as the book ends. . .it's closer than you ever thought. . .but as bad as it could possibly get, this author has faith we can make it through.
I think.
*A sincere thank you to Leif Enger, RB Media and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #ICheerfullyRefuse #NetGalley
Yet. From the first line I was had. . .landed like a catfish, the one next to the bloated floating body. Oh, not the headless one. But maybe. . .? I envied Lark, hard. We all need a hopeful Rainy in our life, who would cross the raging world to find his Lark. Yet. It's this world he's interested in, this moment, this one moment to be present, attitude forward, mind thoroughly engaged, and faith in his fellow beings until they prove otherwise. And when they do, you just keep swimming, just keep swimming, Dory-style.
The darkest part is when you realize that all this future stuff the author keeps packing around you, like gifts at a party, as the book ends. . .it's closer than you ever thought. . .but as bad as it could possibly get, this author has faith we can make it through.
I think.
*A sincere thank you to Leif Enger, RB Media and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #ICheerfullyRefuse #NetGalley
April 21, 2024
“If you’re heading out to sea to find the spirit of your beloved, then go while something rare and infinitely lucky is hanging in the sky.”
A grief-stricken man sets sail on Lake Superior against the background of a dystopian future-America wrecked by climate change, political- and economical division and more. Although the cover-blurb makes allusions to an “Orphean narrator”, what follows is more of a personal Odyssey on a micro-scale, but with the lyrical impact worthy of an epic comparison.
We follow Rainy, a gentle giant of a man, on his journey across the waters of his metaphorical grief over the loss of his wife Lark, as well as the literal waters of Lake Superior. What starts as an introspective and almost meditative journey, slowly offers a broadening scope of the world around, and with that a better understanding of how the events of Rainy- and Lark’s past brought him here.
What I loved:
With Enger's name, and the allusions towards Greek mythology attached to it, it won’t come as a surprise that this is an incredibly ambitious novel from a structural and literary point of view. I was blown away by its achievements in that regard. It strongly reminded me of Station Eleven (one of my all-time favourite novels!) in tone, themes and personal impact on me as a reader. I personally especially loved the first half, where the scope is tight and inward focused on Rainy, the solitary sailing, and the many weathers of Lake Superior mirroring the different faces of his grief.
In the second half, Rainy spends less time alone, meeting up with different passengers and passers-by, which give us a glimpse into the dystopian world at large. This slow spiraling out felt incredibly natural and well-paced. Without spelling it out in detail, we learn everything we need to understand the America that Rainy lives in. Pandemics, political crisis and a wealth-disparity so large that the 16 richest families are known as “The Astronauts”, for being so far removed from the rest of the population. Enger needs few words to paint a bleak and vivid picture.
Yet still, just like Station Eleven, Engers novel is a testament to the power of modern dystopian literature. Unlike the bleak and utterly “hopeless” classics, there is a defiant optimism and hopefulness in these modern stories. A faith in humanity’s potential for empathy and connection, if not on a societal scale, then on a smaller one. Through these connections, the characters on Engers pages (again, mirroring Emily St. John Mandel’s masterpiece) find their way back from survival to living.
What I didn’t love:
My biggest disappointment was a matter of expectation vs reality. The blurb refers to “lunatic storms, sentient waters and rising corpses from the warming depths”, hinting heavily at a magical realism element to the story. Especially in combination with the references to Greek myths, these elements wouldn’t have felt out of place here. Unfortunately, these are all strictly metaphorical, and no actual magical realism is present in the text. Although I like the imagery it conjured up in my head, I couldn’t help but feel a little mislead by the blurb.
My second point of contention relates to a single character; Sol. Whether it was the way her character was written; a fairly blank slate for Rainy to bounce off. Perhaps even the performance of the audiobook-narrator on doing an unconvincing “kids-voice”… Regardless, I never really got a feeling for their father-daughter-like dynamic. . It was clear that the author was going for something profound (think Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us), but it just fell short in that comparison.
Regardless of that small piece of critique, it was one of the best-written literary dystopians I’ve read in a while. Highly recommended for fans of Station Eleven, The Road and The Last of Us.
Many thanks to Grove Press and RB Media for providing me with an (audio)ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
A grief-stricken man sets sail on Lake Superior against the background of a dystopian future-America wrecked by climate change, political- and economical division and more. Although the cover-blurb makes allusions to an “Orphean narrator”, what follows is more of a personal Odyssey on a micro-scale, but with the lyrical impact worthy of an epic comparison.
We follow Rainy, a gentle giant of a man, on his journey across the waters of his metaphorical grief over the loss of his wife Lark, as well as the literal waters of Lake Superior. What starts as an introspective and almost meditative journey, slowly offers a broadening scope of the world around, and with that a better understanding of how the events of Rainy- and Lark’s past brought him here.
What I loved:
With Enger's name, and the allusions towards Greek mythology attached to it, it won’t come as a surprise that this is an incredibly ambitious novel from a structural and literary point of view. I was blown away by its achievements in that regard. It strongly reminded me of Station Eleven (one of my all-time favourite novels!) in tone, themes and personal impact on me as a reader. I personally especially loved the first half, where the scope is tight and inward focused on Rainy, the solitary sailing, and the many weathers of Lake Superior mirroring the different faces of his grief.
In the second half, Rainy spends less time alone, meeting up with different passengers and passers-by, which give us a glimpse into the dystopian world at large. This slow spiraling out felt incredibly natural and well-paced. Without spelling it out in detail, we learn everything we need to understand the America that Rainy lives in. Pandemics, political crisis and a wealth-disparity so large that the 16 richest families are known as “The Astronauts”, for being so far removed from the rest of the population. Enger needs few words to paint a bleak and vivid picture.
Yet still, just like Station Eleven, Engers novel is a testament to the power of modern dystopian literature. Unlike the bleak and utterly “hopeless” classics, there is a defiant optimism and hopefulness in these modern stories. A faith in humanity’s potential for empathy and connection, if not on a societal scale, then on a smaller one. Through these connections, the characters on Engers pages (again, mirroring Emily St. John Mandel’s masterpiece) find their way back from survival to living.
What I didn’t love:
My biggest disappointment was a matter of expectation vs reality. The blurb refers to “lunatic storms, sentient waters and rising corpses from the warming depths”, hinting heavily at a magical realism element to the story. Especially in combination with the references to Greek myths, these elements wouldn’t have felt out of place here. Unfortunately, these are all strictly metaphorical, and no actual magical realism is present in the text. Although I like the imagery it conjured up in my head, I couldn’t help but feel a little mislead by the blurb.
My second point of contention relates to a single character; Sol. Whether it was the way her character was written; a fairly blank slate for Rainy to bounce off. Perhaps even the performance of the audiobook-narrator on doing an unconvincing “kids-voice”… Regardless, I never really got a feeling for their father-daughter-like dynamic. . It was clear that the author was going for something profound (think Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us), but it just fell short in that comparison.
Regardless of that small piece of critique, it was one of the best-written literary dystopians I’ve read in a while. Highly recommended for fans of Station Eleven, The Road and The Last of Us.
Many thanks to Grove Press and RB Media for providing me with an (audio)ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
June 3, 2024
Something like Orpheus meeting the biblical David. Aching, human, and beautiful. Peace Like a River is objectively better, I think, as this one has a few moments that just deny plausibility. But Enger’s voice draws you in. He has the tone of a storyteller and he writes ballads that convey so much. Few of those things can be expressed in words. He is so great for what he says between the words, and I want to read everything he’s ever written.
June 20, 2024
More a mood than anything. What do we do to survive when the world around us is falling apart? We love one another, of course--even our enemies, even those we have just the barest tolerance for. We must love one another, or perish.
Also, this may be the chillest post-apocalyptic scenario I've ever seen.
Also, this may be the chillest post-apocalyptic scenario I've ever seen.
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