Review: Annihilation, by Jeff Vandermeer

It's a good thing that I have friends who read, because if I didn't, I would probably never read any fiction at all. Participation in book clubs is probably the best way to be exposed to things you would otherwise never read...

But, as to the novel: None of the characters are named. The country they live and work in is never named. All we know about them is their profession, and that some organization has sent them as a team to some extra-dimensional overlay called Area X. All of the characters are under hypnosis and none of them can remember much besides working in Area X. The overall effect is dreamlike and surreal. The whole thing feels so divorced from context that it has the flavor of a disjointed daydream or artistic film.

The only context that we do get is some background on the main character's life. She's a biologist. She once had a husband. I won't write any spoilers, but the whole book feels very much like a metaphor for the main character's spiritual dilemma. She comes across as one of these scientifically-minded people who live their lives in a mental fortress, and who lack human connection due to having an entirely reserved attitude toward their own emotions. The loneliness, detachment, and feeling of alienation suffusing the whole book seems to mirror the internal struggle of the main character.

I recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi. And I also recommend it to anyone who enjoys are more "psychological" novel. The whole thing feels like a very compact cross between Danielewski's House of Leaves and Michael Crichton's Sphere. The exterior of the narrative is very Crichton, but the interior – you might say, the heart and soul – of the book reminds me much more of Danielweski's work.