No More Empty Spaces

So much heart! (And brain, and courage... but that's another story). Green starts off strong, with emotional tension and conflict, and maintains the pace. The characters are mostly believable: their maturity and self-aware stretches credulity at times, ... but I'm 100% OK with that. Just this week a friend and I were conversing about the importance of speaking to the potential in people—to who they <i>could</i> be; to who you see in them—and by doing so uplifting them and helping them manifest their promise. This is what I see Green doing, and I love it. There are countless inflection points in the book where a kind intention, a step back to reflect, makes a critical difference to a relationship and/or an outcome. (There are bad decisions too. This is no fantasy.)

The writing is evocative, rich, with an exquisite eye for detail. It's hard to believe this is a first novel. I loved the attention to geology and engineering and integrity, but a couple of times the science felt cut short. I wonder if some parts got lost out of fear of losing the reader? Hey editors, science nerds read, too! It was serendipitously fun to read this so soon after The Emerald Mile: that gave me useful background context about dam construction.

I was delighted to see Angle of Repose in cameo, then stunned to learn, in the Author's End Notes, about Stegner's theft. Am still feeling indigested a day later but am grateful to have learned the truth no matter how ugly.

May we all end up as la-di-da, spiritually enlightened types.