The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
UK Publication: May 2023
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★★]
This ARC was provided by Canongate (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Two word review – Read this
May 22
2 Comments
Booker International 2023 – Our Predictions for Winner
Which book do our shadow panel think will take the prize?
Booker International Shortlist 2023: Boulder by Eva Baltasar
Boulder by Eva Baltasar
Will the judges be bowled over by this one or will it leave them stony faced?
Booker International Shortlist 2023: The Gospel According to the New World by Maryse Conde
The Gospel According to the New World by Maryse Conde
BookWorm:
Why it Could Win:.The only shortlist book I have not read which means it is bound to win.
Why it Might Not Win: This has mixed reviews and it is not one that is calling to me.
Rachel:
Why it Could Win: It’s Maryse Conde!
Why it Might Not Win: I just didn’t understand what it was trying to do. Which may very well be a reason for it to win.
Tracy:
Why it Could Win: Maryse Conde is a treasure and her writing history is packed with gems.
Why it Might Not Win: This isn’t one of those gems- it was hard to follow.
What do you think is this the winner?
Booker International Shortlist 2023: Standing Heavy by Gauz
Standing Heavy by Gauz
Could this heavyweight take the title?
Booker International Shortlist 2023: Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel
Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel
Is this one still in with a chance?
Booker International Shortlist 2023: Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan
Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan
Could this leviathan be our winner?
Booker International Shortlist 2023: Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
Is it time for a Bulgarian winner.
May 14
August Blue by Deborah Levy
August Blue by Deborah Levy
UK Publication: May 2023
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★★]
This ARC was provided by Penguin General UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Fully expecting to see this on the Booker Longlist.
May 8
Camp Zero by Author Michelle Min Sterling
Camp Zero by Author Michelle Min Sterling
UK Publication: March 2023
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★★]
This ARC was provided by John Murray Press (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
It’s the end of the world as we know it…
Synopsis from Goodreads: In a near-future northern settlement, a handful of climate change survivors find their fates intertwined in this mesmerizing and transportive novel in the vein of Station Eleven and The Power.
In the far north of Canada sits Camp Zero, an American building project hiding many secrets.
Desperate to help her climate-displaced Korean immigrant mother, Rose agrees to travel to Camp Zero and spy on its architect in exchange for housing. She arrives at the same time as another newcomer, a college professor named Grant who is determined to flee his wealthy family’s dark legacy. Gradually, they realize that there is more to the architect than previously thought, and a disturbing mystery lurks beneath the surface of the camp. At the same time, rumors abound of an elite group of women soldiers living and working at a nearby Cold War-era climate research station. What are they doing there? And who is leading them?
An electrifying page-turner where nothing is as it seems, Camp Zero cleverly explores how the intersection of gender, class, and migration will impact who and what will survive in a warming world.
My Thoughts: This was a really interesting book somewhere between dystopian fiction and a thriller.
The story is told through 3 very distinct narrators Rose a high class prostitute expanding her horizons from the floating city to scout out what is happening in the frozen North. Grant a teacher who while trying to escape his family accepts a job that is not what it promised to be and White Alice a group of women working alone in the North as an outpost of humanity increasingly cut-off from the rest of the world.
While all the voice are unique and interesting it is the way these stories eventually come together that really made the book pop for me.
This is one you need to read and discover the cross overs for yourself so I am not going to say anymore.
Who would like this? I would recommend this to those who enjoy dystopian fiction, humans at the end of the world stories, survival stories and those who enjoy escaping this world into a different future.
We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think?
jenp27
Nicole Del Sesto
The Reader's Room 