I ripped through it yesterday in a few hours’ time. It was so… flimsy? Like more of a too-long short story or merely an outline of an idea? It was as if Mandel just had to get something, anything to the publisher to fulfill a contract real quick. The author character made me never ever want to write a book. The characters had no depth, the concepts weren’t fleshed out, and the vision of the future wasn’t credible to me. What did everyone else think?
I really liked the melancholy, slow atmosphere of her writing. I found the later parts - the protagonist that is just her - a little indulgent (oh no, the rich person felt guilty during COVID). The first character is well rounded and interesting. The rest are pretty thin. Some good lines in it but I agree it’s not my favourite. Moody and atmospheric - yes. A well rounded plot with believable characters? No.