Nicola Barker

What a strange, difficult, engrossing, wonderful book this is! Using stream of consciousness, music and graphic design, Barker brings us to a bizarre world where emotions are dulled to spare from pain. Mira A., using music, will access her painful past by edging out of this pleasant prison, the musical notes creating vibrations that interfere with the artificial frequencies of the system she is in. It is an allegory for the ways in which we numb ourselves to avoid pain, but can also be extended to the way we treat mental illness in general.
Ultimately this book generates more questions than answers, but isn't that its very premise? for the reader to question the words she uses, the lies she may manufacture to avoid an uncomfortable truth? After all, freedom resides in uncertainty and how many of us are willing to walk in ambiguity?
An incredibly original and artistic novel with deep philosophical questions.… (mer)

Reason Read: Reading 1001 January 2023 BOTM
This book was a recent add to the 1001 list. It is written by Nicola Barker, British author and is a dystopian book. This is a book that is probably set in the near future though no information is provided. It seems that people have become mechanized and that they are (the Young) are constantly monitored to keep everyone in harmony. Meaning constant surveillance. It really felt current because of its issues of not being able to deviate from the norm without societal repercussions. It also felt like this false utopia was beset by its own lying serpent. The novel was not only one of story by words but also by use of color, drawings, changes in fonts that created atmosphere for the story. Very creative. What was lacking is anything that made you feel connected to the characters. The main character and the secondary characters were so caught up in this System that they were unreachable. There was a lot of tension, darkness, not much light and little if no humor. It does deserve it's place on the 1001 as it is certainly creative. The use of music and all that is included in music was also interesting though I know little to nothing about music.… (mer)