An Unkindness of Ghosts (5 points)

    An Unkindness of Ghosts was kind of a weird one for me. On one hand, I loved Aster as a character. She’s the type of person I would have never thought would be such a compelling protagonist. Her relationships with Griselle, Theo, and Mesuline felt extremely natural, more than anything I’ve really read before. The way that Rivers Solomon talks about and handles gender in both Aster and Theo feels like the exact opposite of my last read, Left Hand of Darkness. The way that Aster explains herself as an amalgamation of man, woman, and witch feels more natural and real than a strictly scientific look at gender. Rivers uses they/them pronouns in their bio, so I know that they way gender is handled is from an insider’s perspective. The world of Matilda feels like the cross between the Handmaid’s Tale and Wall-E in a very convincing way, and the way race is approached is rooted in first hand experiences and study. Really, this should be at the top rankings of books I have read for this class. Despite that, I felt hollow when I read the last chapter.

    It is really hard to put into words, but it kind of feels like this book was the first one in a trilogy that was never made. I looked into Rivers some more and I saw that they have written other books, but I have seen no mention of a sequel. It feels very contrary to the extremely ambiguous last chapters, which both feels like an ending and not like an ending. The way the book is split into distinct eras almost on top of distinguishing chapter feels like the combining of four shorter novels into something of an anthology. The feeling I get most from the book is like the anticipation right before the adrenaline rush kicks in, anxiety-riddled and waiting for something to complete itself. Yet, I never got that feeling of completion.

    Solomon has some intriguing mysteries in the novel, but it feels like they could not decide between a mystery melodrama or an action romance. What I can’t shake, however, is how close the pacing that I just criticized feels so much like living. In real life, there are rarely any relationships, major life events, or history-shaping moments that ever feel like they have been completed. As long as you have time to think and discover new things about yourself and others, old traumas will come up. Those in-between moments of rest, gathering of thoughts, and preparation for the next thing life throws at you are kind of the worst and best parts about living.