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A review by courtneydoss
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
5.0
In An Absent Dream chronicles one of the most interesting characters in the Wayward Children series; child psychologist and physical child Katherine Lundy. At a young age, Lundy finds herself in the Goblin Market, a faerie realm in which everything has value and everything must be fair. It is a world of rigid rules that don't always make sense right away, and of consequences both unpleasant and unexpected. Alongside her friend Moon and her mentor, the Archivist, Lundy explores the world of the Goblin Market and falls in love with the life there. But, the world of her birth calls her back, again and again throughout her life until finally she has to make the ultimate choice.
The Goblin Market is one of the most interesting worlds that Seanan McGuire has come up with, in my opinion, because of the very unusual rules. Borrowing from traditional faerie lore, the Goblin Market is a world where the careless could end up completely screwed. Lundy, fascinated with the written word, belongs in this world, where every word has to be so deliberate. Nothing one says in the Goblin Market can be carelessly thrown out there; you have to say exactly what you mean, promise only exactly what you're willing to give, and never reveal too much. It was such a fascinating setting, and Lundy's story was super cool.
The one thing that this book was missing was the powerful ensemble cast. I like the mixture of different people from different worlds, and as this was set in a single world it lacked that element. However, this book did display the emotional conflict between taking your own path and following the path laid out before you by your family. Lundy loves the Goblin Market with everything inside her, but she also cares for her family and so to make them happy continually jeopardizes her own happiness. The entire thing is an apt metaphor for what it is like to balance individual and familial desires.
The entire series is a metaphor for people embracing their differences and finding a place that they belong, even if that place isn't at home, but I feel like In an Absent Dream is the book that best drives that point home. While this book wasn't my absolute favorite in the series, I think that it is definitely in the top two.
The Goblin Market is one of the most interesting worlds that Seanan McGuire has come up with, in my opinion, because of the very unusual rules. Borrowing from traditional faerie lore, the Goblin Market is a world where the careless could end up completely screwed. Lundy, fascinated with the written word, belongs in this world, where every word has to be so deliberate. Nothing one says in the Goblin Market can be carelessly thrown out there; you have to say exactly what you mean, promise only exactly what you're willing to give, and never reveal too much. It was such a fascinating setting, and Lundy's story was super cool.
The one thing that this book was missing was the powerful ensemble cast. I like the mixture of different people from different worlds, and as this was set in a single world it lacked that element. However, this book did display the emotional conflict between taking your own path and following the path laid out before you by your family. Lundy loves the Goblin Market with everything inside her, but she also cares for her family and so to make them happy continually jeopardizes her own happiness. The entire thing is an apt metaphor for what it is like to balance individual and familial desires.
The entire series is a metaphor for people embracing their differences and finding a place that they belong, even if that place isn't at home, but I feel like In an Absent Dream is the book that best drives that point home. While this book wasn't my absolute favorite in the series, I think that it is definitely in the top two.