This is a darkly compelling and utterly unique novel, and I blitzed through this despite how much it horrified me at times! Definitely one with that real shock factor…
It’s 2035, and Sol finally knows where her real father is, so fresh out of rehab for her drug addiction, she decides to head over to Japan to find him, before the ban on flying comes in. Taking the besotted Kit with her, the closest thing to family she’s had since they met at Dreamtime, the strange cult where they grew up, Sol will find herself making reckless decision after reckless decision out of desperation to meet this father. But how much danger is she willing to put them both in, with the world falling apart around them?
This novel is so hard to explain because it’s so unlike anything I’ve read before. It has this kind of seedy, sordid underbelly to it which draws you in and repulses you at the same time, with Sol relying heavily on drugs, and letting men take advantage of her in some fairly dazed states. If uplit is your bag then look away now because this is about as far from it as you can get - this is end of the world, worst of humanity kind of chaos. But it’s so brilliant and terrifying for it!
The writing is exquisite, and this vision of the impact we have on the earth so painfully real and likely. I’d probably put this one in the eco-fiction category, as whilst the characters are a huge part of our story, it’s the damaged earth around them which truly grabbed my attention. It was also fascinating from a historical and political point of view though, as I had no idea about the US military occupation in Okinawa and the controversy surrounding this. Everything about this novel is thought-provoking and almost like a warning. It’s the kind of fiction we need to wake people up.
This is a really dark, fairly twisted, and complex novel with many triggering topics, but it’s also a total marvel and one of the smartest novels I’ve read. Definitely a writer to watch out for!