Wow. I had this book on my 25 to read for 2025 and I used a random number generator to decide what to read first, and what a way to start. I literally just finished this book about 5 minutes ago and have just been sitting here with my thoughts. I read about 20ish pages yesterday and finished the entire thing in the last couple hours. I feel so drained but also am kind of shaking with how intensely this book made me feel. I can't remember the last time i loved a book so immediately and so dearly. I just couldn't put it down. I it's also only 164 pages excluding the afterword so it was a fast read but MY GOD I just can't seen to put my thoughts in order it kind of shook me to my core. I thought I hated science fiction and while I enjoyed dystopian books as a teen it was more of the ones to do with uprisings and fighting against an oppressive world order (The Hunger Games is the first that comes to mind). This book doesn't have that. Would I say it's plot driven, yes and no? It's a book that should feel barren and does at times but never boring. My apathy towards Station Eleven despite it making the NYT 100 best books list made me apprehensive about this one as well, I didn't think I would connect to it the way I did, but it deeply touched me. Absolutely reeling right now and feel the need to read the rest of Jacqueline Harpman's other books as well as the references mentioned in the afterword. Absolutely adored this book start to finish. I can't think of anything else to say right now but I think this is a novel I will have to return to again, and might reread often. It was just amazing.