Sand

initial review, jan 2017:
5 stars
This is my second time reading Hugh Howey. I started with Wool, which was just breathtaking. Sand is almost as good. I absolutely could not put this book down. It tells the story of a family and their struggles in a world covered with, well, sand. There are plenty of unexpected twists and wonderful characters, and it is an overall amazingly well-written story. Recommended for anyone who likes sci-fi, immersive fiction, or just darn good books.

reread review, dec 2022:
3 stars
I lowkey regret re-reading this. I still loved Wool on a re-read, so I figured Sand would be in the clear. I wasn't going to pick it up until I started Across the Sand and realized it followed the same characters. I couldn't find a proper plot summary and I still had the first book on my kindle, so I figured a re-read would be fine. I just did not vibe with it as well as 2017 Sarah did. The writing itself was fine, I just didn't find it very compelling.

I also feel... weird about Vic's character. Her personality consists of 2 things: 1. she's a badass sand diver and 2. she was raped at the combination bar/brothel her mom now works at. She ends the book by sacrificing herself to destroy their oppressors. There are THREE brothers -- two of whom are interchangeable -- and yet the woman has to sacrifice herself, after being sexually assaulted of course. Not to mention how thankless these children are to their mother. The entire family is abandoned by their father and when their mother is forced to support them by becoming a sex worker, instead of being grateful these kids... completely resent her for it. And it's implied that Vic's feelings toward her mother are colored by what happened to her at the bar/brothel. She has no sympathy for the fact that her mother is regularly abused by patrons.

Okay, I didn't realize how passionately I felt about that. I just feel that the women in this book were not treated well at all. I am looking forward to seeing how the story progresses in the sequel, but my hopes are not as high as they were before.