Let’s discuss unique books. What is the first one that comes to your mind? The uniqueness can be about the book’s plot, structure, ideas, themes, topics etc.
For me such a book is Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. It’s been a while since I’ve read it but I remember how mindblowing it was for me. Every time I thought it couldn’t surprise me more, it actually did. There’s a bit of everything there: peculiar characters, a substance called ice-nine that can freeze water on contact (as humans are around 60% water, it can instantly kill them), a fictional religion called Bokononism based on the idea that human life has no absolute truth or meaning, a tiny island nation with its own bizarre world. All of these come together to show us a satire of the absurdity of humanity.
As for a unique book structure, I have to say it’s Cain’s Jawbone by Edward Mathers. It’s a kind of puzzle book where pages are not in order and you need to arrange them in order to guess whodunnit. I haven’t finished this one yet but it’s a cool challenge.
Great recommendation thank you, will read
I will say, if you’re unfamiliar with Le Guin’s work, I would recommend reading “The Dispossessed” first. It’s written more traditionally and I think it’s a better entry point for a new Le Guin reader. It also has a lot of the same themes as Always Coming Home.
Cool cool, I have read that one and liked it (though I thought the prose was sometimes dry and the plot very on the nose but maybe that’s just me) but its messages were great and super interesting.
Oh great then yeah I think you’ll enjoy Always Coming Home.