Subduction

Harsh but compelling. I found the characters unlikable, self-absorbed, inconsistent... and fascinating. Simultaneously shallow and complex; self-interest with unexpected moments of connection and empathy; each with their trauma and the roles they think they have to play. And, through it all, a meaningful story of culture and belonging and loss.

Millares Young's prose is beautiful, evocative of both mood and setting, drawing me in so I could almost see and hear the life in the village, feel the characters' conflicting emotions. She has an exquisite sense for the human heart. Favorite excerpt:

“Surround yourself with good people. [...] Being with someone with bad energy, it's like singing next to someone who's off key. Yeah, you keep singing. But you have to filter out what's coming from them just to hold your line. And that takes energy. Costs you. They're not trying to hurt you. They just don't know what else to do.”