I have been in a reading rut this summer, probably because I've been focusing my free time on running and revising my own novel, but I finally picked up a book that hooked me from the first page, and managed to finish it in just a couple days, beating out the clock on the end of July.
I really need to learn to like audio books, because then I could stack the heck out of my habits.
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
I don't quite know how to categorize this novel. I think I'd have to call it urban fantasy—it takes place in our world in the modern day, and while there's extraordinary power in this book, it's fueled by science, math, and a deep understanding of the universe, not magic. Maybe. I mean, this is definitely not a sci-fi story; for all intents and purposes, we're dealing with magic, despite being told otherwise.
I'm also not quite sure how to summarize this book, but I'll do my best. The main character is Carolyn, one of a dozen orphans adopted by the all-powerful Father and tasked with mastering a particular catalog from his extensive library. When the book opens, Father is missing, and his now-adult children are searching for him.
At least, that's what it seems. The mystery of where Father is—and who he is—is only part of this book. We soon get an inkling that whether they find him doesn't matter much to Carolyn; she has other plans and things to think about.
I don't have anything bad to say about this book. The characters are complex, real, heartbreaking, and vivid. Even the side-characters feel fully realized. As each layer of the mystery is revealed, things click into place and make sense in the most satisfying way.
One of the best things about this novel is that it doesn't fall into the trap of trying to overexplain the fantastical—I don't love it when fantasy writers bend over backward to try to help you understand something our puny human brains simply couldn't, and Hawkins steers clear of this entirely. Description is perfectly balanced, always illuminating and never bogging down the plot. The fear, pain, and horror of Carolyn's life is visceral, but not unreadable. Yes, this book has some gruesome moments, but if you're a fan of horror like I am, it only adds to the depth of the storytelling.
Actually, I should expand on that. The training the children endure to master their catalogs is abusive in the worst sense, and there are a good number of flashbacks that detail the horrific things that happen to them. But the writing is distanced enough that even the worst moments aren't too sickening to get through; this is partially because we experience most of these moments through Carolyn's perspective, and she's not an emotional person, so we're spared any vicarious grief. Still, some people are very sensitive to some of the themes in this book, so it's worth mentioning that there's a lot of child abuse/murder and some instances of animals being hurt/killed.
This book definitely broke me out of my reading slump, but I wish I had more time to dedicate to reading these days. The only way I was able to plow through this one was to eschew pretty much everything else this week. I have really got to figure out a better method.
Ali
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