Kirkus Review

 

How High We Go In The Dark

by Sequoia Nagamatsu • Release Date: January 18, 2022

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    A collection of vignettes that tell the story of the lasting effect of year after year of an ever-changing pandemic and mankind's resilience.

    In the first chapter, a research team unearths a long-buried corpse, that seems out of time and place. She carries the first strain of what would grow into a global pandemic. The virus that is released starts destroying human organs. From this event, many twisted and warped company models sprout up, such as the City of Laughter. The City of Laughter is a twisted amusement park that is meant to make children suffering from the plague one last fun-filled day before riding a roller coaster that would end their lives. From this first idea grows an economy that is reliant on death and dying. Nagamatsu's characters are characters that must continually face adversity and overcome the overwhelming grief that accompanies each decision. Readers see characters reach for the stars as they search for new and inhabitable worlds where they can begin again, and start new lives lightyears away from the one's that they knew. The book culminates in a chapter that ties all the events of the book in a satisfying and worthwhile way. Nagamatsu's novel is well-written and masterfully explores the far-reaching effects of a global pandemic. 

A beautiful exploration of life in the face of overwhelming grief. 

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Pub Date:  Jan. 18, 2022                                                                   Page Count: 304

ISBN: 978-0-06-307264-0                                                                    Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Categories: Apocalyptic fiction | Social Science Fiction | Literary Fiction | Pandemic Apocalypse