This book review is, of course, provided courtesy of Goodreads first reads program, provided free for a honest review.
From This World
Daniel Adsett
This book follows Vikram around as he tries to come to terms with isolation
vie aliens. It's not very sci-fi
heavy with only some talk about the aliens (which came out fine I just wish it
was introduced earlier in the book as I found myself skimming ahead frequently
to find more about the aliens). Human
beings are social beings. Or are they? What happens when aliens only approach groups
of human beings, would you want to be approached? If not, the only way to avoid them is to
isolate yourself from any contact with a single human being. Vikram is a teenager who describes his life
to us through journal entries describing what little interactions he had before
the aliens came and how his life is affected afterwards; a forced almost exiled
like life.
I really could have done with or without reading this book, I am left
feeling neutral. I can see this book
really resonating with some people with his intense feeling of loneliness mixed
with paranoia. While most people could sympathizes
with loneliness it’s the paranoia that is hard to contend with. When Vikram talks about his love of Marilyn I
thought “oh, god please do not tell me he is serious”, after every talk with
her he reinvisions the encounters into how she loves him, even after something
as simply as saying hello that she was looking to talk with somebody and make
friends. Before he would meet her he
would envision her devoting her self endlessly to him, actually meet her, she
gives off zero hints or talks of undying love and he then proceeds to look at
her as being in love with him. I think
he was slightly unhinged and was unable to understand social interaction before
the aliens came anyways. The book does
do a good cover of what could happen to the planet if most of the humans were
gone, could we survive in our current lifestyle, what stereotypes would be most
likely to survive. Vikram’s feeling of
intense loneliness, sometimes delirious loneliness, and all around craziness
are vivid, believable, I can almost experience them myself when I read them in
the book; this is most likely to happen if you have experienced it yourself before
though. Vikram was not emotionally
capable of living in a heightened state of awareness due to hiding from aliens
while combined with survival instincts, and a mix of vulnerability and
strength. He chose to hide from the
aliens but could not mentally stand being isolated. Spoiler Vikram cracks. I was not attached to any of the characters
in the book, I did feel the emotional range exhibited, and enjoyed the prose
which was wonderful. While I did not
feel drawn to the story; I found it mildly interesting, or characters; while
well developed did not leave me feeling anything, I felt the writing was
enjoyable enough that I would look forward to reading something else by Mr.
Daniel Adsett. ☆☆★★☆
