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4 of 5 stars to Hollowpox by Jessica Townsend https://goodreads.com/review/show/3036894649
I want to write a full length essay on this book but itās getting late and I have to wake up early for work in the morning, so here are some unorganized thoughts:
I went into this expecting a fun, whimsical middle grade fantasy adventure. Something easy, maybe a little dark but not super horrifying, because this book is for children.
This book turned out to be was the most 2020-ass book Iāve ever read.
This book turned out to be was the most 2020-ass book Iāve ever read.
This book is about a dangerous epidemic AND horrifying racial tensions. Thereās curfews and lockdowns and protests and quarantine and characters who put themselves in danger while knowing that they could catch the virus. It was like reading a book full of anti-maskers.
All of this were handled extremely poorly by the people in charge. It was stressful (and a little triggering?). I really didnāt love it nearly as much as the first two books in this series as a result.
Iām also getting very tired of SFF writers using prejudice against animals that can talk as a metaphor for racism. Wicked did it, Zootopia did it, Iām just... over it. It also seems like the rest of the book is set in a post-racial world, which is maybe a weird juxtaposition?
I believe NK Jemisin wrote a REALLY GOOD thread awhile back about the limitations of using non-human species as a metaphor for racism in SFF, and thatās what I thought about while reading this book. Iāll link it tomorrow if I can find it.
