The last of the Hugo-nominated books from this season. A man lives in a giant house with apparently endless rooms. The lower levels are flooded, and water sometimes rises to middle levels, the upper levels are at least part open to the sky. The house is surrounded by an endless sea. The rooms are filled with giant statues. The man catalogs everything: the tides, the rooms he has studied, but can’t really remember how he got there or even who he is, but he doesn’t exactly even realize that himself. There is another man who the protagonist meets weekly, he calls the man simply “The Other”. The unnamed protagonist has found some skeletons in the rooms, so there have been people there before, but really doesn’t very much think about that, however, he takes care of them and leaves gifts besides them. But then there are indications, that other people might be visiting the room. The Other severely warns the main character about them. Slowly the secrets are unraveled.
When the book starts, the reader doesn’t know anything - everything is a mystery. Slowly the background reveals itself with an imaginative narrative. The book is excellently written with creative language and an intriguing plot. The worst part was the repeating and very detailed descriptions of rooms found in the “mansion”, even when they made sense from a metaphorical and storytelling point of view. An enjoyment to read - and it is not a part of a series, which is always a huge positive when considering award worthiness.
242 pp.
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