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A review by katieg
The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This is a difficult book to rate because I found parts of it tremendous. The complicated mother-daughter relationship and some of the stark, beautifully drawn tableaus O’Neill painted kept me interested and reading.
Unfortunately I think this book’s plot, and the themes of war and cultural genocide felt flat and unrealized. I think this book’s plot would have been better served as either a committed historical fiction novel or an alternate world fantasy. While the work is trying to comment on the universal patterns of bias and genocide, the vague 20th century setting, unnamed Enemy and capital, instead make it feel disconnected from longstanding issues of xenophobia, racism, nationalism, and antisemitism central to so much modern war and genocide. The fable like qualities of the story would work better in a novel for children, but in a work for adults who understand the real wars and occupations this work is drawing from, many of the themes feel hollow.
Unfortunately I think this book’s plot, and the themes of war and cultural genocide felt flat and unrealized. I think this book’s plot would have been better served as either a committed historical fiction novel or an alternate world fantasy. While the work is trying to comment on the universal patterns of bias and genocide, the vague 20th century setting, unnamed Enemy and capital, instead make it feel disconnected from longstanding issues of xenophobia, racism, nationalism, and antisemitism central to so much modern war and genocide. The fable like qualities of the story would work better in a novel for children, but in a work for adults who understand the real wars and occupations this work is drawing from, many of the themes feel hollow.