Sebastian Rodriguez

“Through countless frosts and thaws, he walked in circles wider than nations.”

I'm not a big western fan. But this book transcends its genre and somehow touches on the past, present and future. It's a coming of age for a whole continent. There is so much wealth of knowledge - I found myself saving all the gems that Haka shared as he crossed the world. Couldn't put this book down.

The first half of the book is slow - but right at the middle - it just picks up and does not slow down. It builds and delivers. I'll miss Piranesi - and the halls and the tides.

Great read and interesting story line. However the jumping between timelines (past/present) makes it harder to connect the dots.

“I hope they find each other in a room where a song that they know all of the words to crawls up the walls and rattles the lights above their heads.”

Hanif lived rent free in my head for days - his words, his prose - his insights into my own past thru what I couldn't imagine someone half across the world was also experiencing. I will miss this book, but I close this one - extremely thankful for what I've learned.

Reading this after Recursion - realizing I waited far too long to read it. It's extremely well written, unexpected turns and great character building. Just, a great refreshing story in a very crowded topic and genre.