Flux

I would like to thank Melville House Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an ambitious debut Flux is! It is no wonder why this kept appearing on several most anticipated releases lists.

It took me awhile to warm up to this story, and even after I did, I still felt a bit detached of its main character and events.
I disliked the way the story started as I just couldn't care less about the actor and tv show he was obsessed with.
I believe the spoiler in the blurb does not help captivating the interest in the book, as it prematurely answers questions that should appear while reading , reducing the curiosity that keeps us going and wanting for more.

I loved how the storyline addresses and explores identity, family, love and grief but I've found the overall story too slow paced. I just wished I had loved everything more!

Flux is original and well written, but requires a level of focus to read it and enjoy it that my currently sleep deprived postpartum brain lacks, so take this review with a grain of salt.

Flux could have been a script for a Black Mirror episode. If you loved the show and love sci-fi, pick up this book and you won't be disappointed.

It's a collection of vibes that just worked. From the spot on feel of a Theranos miracle technology propelled by a singular cult of personality, to the gritty TV heroes that could never exist in our current environment but were nonetheless riveting to so many of us as kids. David Hasselhoff to Star Lord. And it's inescapable childhood grief that haunts as it bends the arc of your life. There's an improbably missing elevator, a questionable insta-family, and special milk that just didn't quite make sense but I was still down for the entire ride. This felt like a first season of prestige tv, all set up with oblique clues scattered throughout that hint at something larger. There's just so much meaty potential within the gaps of the story that kept snagging at my attention. Just one of those reads where you enjoy the experience without being able to exactly pinpoint the why.

Quite an interesting read! I like time travel stories, but they can spin out of control quickly. This one stayed pretty grounded and I thought the cop TV show framing device was interesting.

There were some definitely parts of the book that made me raise an eyebrow - especially the main character's internal-ish monologue and use of some words that I would associate with hypermasculinity. I'm thinking that this is intentional on the author's part to connect to this character's idolization of the TV show cop. It's something I'm still thinking on.

Bonus star purely for the 80's noir vibe. That said, I do have questions about some of the characters and what their purposes were. One, in particular, who seemed a bit of an Elizabeth Holmes examination.