Women in Horror Month: Book Review: The World We Make
I have so, so many thoughts about this book. It’s the kind of book it’s hard to come away from without feeling like there’s so much to talk about. To the characters’ struggles on a personal level, to the possible-universe-destroying dangers, to just…well, every second of this book had me completely hooked and engrossed. I felt so invested in what happened to Neek and the other avatars, and Jemisin masterfully keeps up the tension and interest from book one throughout this.
It's hard to read this and not see the real world parallels with recent events, but something I truly loved was how this book doesn’t shy away from the awful realities of current life, reflecting the rise of the far-right and the way things seem to be going backwards on many different things, but here there is, at least, a way away from these monsters, and the avatars can help their cities away from the worst.
Jemisin really digs into the nuances, as well. Staten Island is represented as a scared, lonely young girl who, through her own ridiculous view of the world, is fair game for grooming by the enemy. Similarly, when we peek behind the enemy, we see something else far bigger and more dangerous guiding her actions – neither of these characters are absolved from the acts they commit, but they’re used to show how bigotry can be exploited and magnified by those who are truly in control and stand to actually gain something from it, while those in the lowest rungs risk losing everything they hold dear to appease their masters.
Every victory experienced by the NY avatars feels triumphant, no matter how small it seems relative to the universe-ending threat. And each of these characters is learning more about the city, their boroughs, and themselves throughout the book, truly using their own unique personalities, backgrounds and quirks to progress forward.
In The City We Became, Jemisin responds to Lovecraft’s bigotries by taking control of Cosmic Horror and holding a light to it, showing how ridiculous these prejudices are. In The World We Make there’s a similar achievement, but this time aimed at the far-right and all those who fall under that banner, who try to consistently deny others the right to simply live because of some preconceived notions mixed with powers whispering in their ears and telling them how to think and feel, directing anger at marginalised targets and pulling strings to keep that anger from where it should be directed. Bigots will always be bigots, but The World We Make shows how community and love really can win out. It’s a dark book with a hopeful message underlying it, and though this would have made for an excellent trilogy, it’s easy to see why it wasn’t something Jemisin wanted to remain steeped in for too long.
There are moments of this book that feel utterly bleak because they so brilliantly capture what’s happening in the real world, but there’s a hopeful edge to it, too, reflected in the sense of community and intersectionality, the way we all need to look out for one another and help protect the most vulnerable communities.
Jemisin has once again written a powerful, brilliant book that completely sweeps you up in the story, a love letter to New York and all great cities, and a reminder that no one person can do it all alone.
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter & Instagram: @elleturpitt
www.elleturpitt.com
I received this ebook from Orbit via NetGalley for review consideration
