Reader Ray's Reviews > State of Paradise
State of Paradise
by
by
State of Paradise
Laura van den Berg
A ghost writer moves back to Florida to live with her mother, and her sister next door – the story starts off pretty conventionally, and you can virtually see the cookie-cutter strip malls, laundromats, and typical Florida scenery pass by, feel the heat and humidity. This is my first book by this author, and it is evident that her storytelling is crisp and engaging. In a parallel narrative, the author takes you back to her childhood – dealing with an abusive, alcoholic parent, to her troubled adolescence culminating in her running away from home. Continuing downhill to institutionalization for early adulthood mental health issues. The gradual character development makes you slowly realize that things are not always what they seem. And I think this is a central theme of this novel. To paraphrase: No one is interested in reading about the truth. The truth is what people read to get away from.
Then the story starts to get weird – there is a VR headset townspeople are getting addicted to using, then they start disappearing. There are “ghostly” apparitions of people long-dead or vanished. The famous author the protagonist/narrator takes on a more mysterious and sinister role. Altered reality, parallel universes – sci fi, horror…hang on to your seats!
My appreciation to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher, for providing me with a digital Advanced Reader Copy for review, in exchange for an original, unbiased, independent review.
Laura van den Berg
A ghost writer moves back to Florida to live with her mother, and her sister next door – the story starts off pretty conventionally, and you can virtually see the cookie-cutter strip malls, laundromats, and typical Florida scenery pass by, feel the heat and humidity. This is my first book by this author, and it is evident that her storytelling is crisp and engaging. In a parallel narrative, the author takes you back to her childhood – dealing with an abusive, alcoholic parent, to her troubled adolescence culminating in her running away from home. Continuing downhill to institutionalization for early adulthood mental health issues. The gradual character development makes you slowly realize that things are not always what they seem. And I think this is a central theme of this novel. To paraphrase: No one is interested in reading about the truth. The truth is what people read to get away from.
Then the story starts to get weird – there is a VR headset townspeople are getting addicted to using, then they start disappearing. There are “ghostly” apparitions of people long-dead or vanished. The famous author the protagonist/narrator takes on a more mysterious and sinister role. Altered reality, parallel universes – sci fi, horror…hang on to your seats!
My appreciation to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher, for providing me with a digital Advanced Reader Copy for review, in exchange for an original, unbiased, independent review.
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Reading Progress
June 18, 2024
–
Started Reading
June 18, 2024
– Shelved as:
to-read
June 18, 2024
– Shelved
June 21, 2024
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Finished Reading