chayote reviewed Some Faraway Place by Lauren Shippen
Review of 'Some Faraway Place' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Some Faraway Place (A Bright Sessions Novel) by Lauren Shippen
304 pages | Releases September 28
Some Faraway Place is an emotional and deeply character-driven novel. Written as a series of diary entries, blog posts, and letters, the novel's structure makes for short chapters that are incredibly binge-able. Not being terribly familiar with The Bright Sessions novels or podcast--I've listened to a couple of episodes here and there, but not read the other novels--I was delighted by how easy it was to get wrapped up in this world despite my sparse background knowledge. I will definitely be coming back to the other novels and the podcast in the future; I need more of these characters!
Our main character, Rose, is young and new to having an Atypical power. She is insecure about a lot of things, overly defensive with people she should trust, and overly trusting of people she probably …
Some Faraway Place (A Bright Sessions Novel) by Lauren Shippen
304 pages | Releases September 28
Some Faraway Place is an emotional and deeply character-driven novel. Written as a series of diary entries, blog posts, and letters, the novel's structure makes for short chapters that are incredibly binge-able. Not being terribly familiar with The Bright Sessions novels or podcast--I've listened to a couple of episodes here and there, but not read the other novels--I was delighted by how easy it was to get wrapped up in this world despite my sparse background knowledge. I will definitely be coming back to the other novels and the podcast in the future; I need more of these characters!
Our main character, Rose, is young and new to having an Atypical power. She is insecure about a lot of things, overly defensive with people she should trust, and overly trusting of people she probably shouldn't. She is a compelling character to follow, young enough to make her mistakes frustrating but understandable, and sometimes uncomfortable in the relatability.
The story follows Rose as she comes to terms with her new ability of dreamdiving: entering other people's dreams. In the waking world, she meets and gets involved with a few other Atypicals with their own agendas, tries to deal with a family crisis, and juggles a demanding job that she's passionate about and a relationship with a cute girl who she really likes. As her real life gets more hectic and unpredictable, the pull of spending more and more time in the dreamworld--where she can control the landscape, revel in childlike wonder at impossibilities, and relive simpler days in brilliant technicolor--becomes harder to resist. Overall I found this novel immediately engaging, easy to read, and emotionally impactful. I won't soon get Rose and her family out of my head.
Recommended for folks who like coming-of-age stories, flawed characters who are trying their best, and maybe a little bit of crying with their reading. I'm guessing there would be a few additional places where the narrative would hit hard if I had the context of the additional works in this universe, but even without, it is a story that leaves a mark.