PositiveThe Miami HeraldHow far would you go on faith? Peter Leigh, the protagonist of Michel Faber’s new novel, will go anywhere God asks ... The Book of Strange New Things offers none of that snark or spark ... Here Faber doggedly explores religious faith, romantic faith, earth on the brink of apocalypse and a world in which, as Peter observes, 'We are the aliens' ... Her exchanges with Peter provide opportunities for back story ... With his marriage and native planet deteriorating, Peter’s love and faith are sorely tested ... The real issue is author’s choice to write with a flat, guileless prose echoing his protagonist. Faber’s created a jewelry box of potential but seems as incurious about exploring it as Peter himself.
Toni Morrison
MixedThe Miami HeraldAt 84, [Morrison] challenges herself, eschewing the period setting, singing prose and folkloric echoes of earlier works. Instead, the author sets the novel in the present, in narcissistic California, relying on flat, declarative narrative rather than lingering over physical detail and character ... pitch-perfect moments remind us how potent a writer Morrison is and how story itself taps into something primal that speaks to the children in all of us. Sadly, these scenes come too late and end too quickly, with the author rushing toward a resolution that offers a glimmering of hope but feels neither organic nor earned.
Part Barker
MixedMiami Herald...the characters’ emotions feel buried beneath the wreckage, their life force a casualty of war. Alas, the same might be said of Noonday. The transition from Toby’s Room to Noonday feels rough, and Barker’s use of multiple points of view further muddles matters. The novel is an ambitious conclusion to the trilogy but is lacking as a stand-alone read.
