Alif the Unseen

I picked this up because I'm enjoying Wilson's comic book writing so much, and I mistakenly thought this would be some sort of YA-ish novel (which it only sort of is). The setting (in an unnamed country with The State in control) was new to me in various ways, but with the all-too-close-to-home impending surveillance state as a central character. Alif is charming in various ways, but not the most easily likable character at first. Watching him understand the world and himself as he navigates a crisis is one of the pleasures of the book. It also seems like Wilson has done her homework regarding the basics of hacking and various technologies–at least enough to make the book work well around those facets of the story. She's got some magical realism going on, and a host of interesting characters surrounding Alif (two of his women compatriots are particularly well-written).

There are also some pretty dark sections of the book–there is torture, and Wilson doesn't shy away from presenting it to us in all of it's horrific glory. That section of the book changed the entire tone for me, just as Alif also has his worldview shifted. It's a well-done move on the writer's part.

I hope she has some more novels coming...