https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023120-year-of-fruit-cake-or-aliens.html ( )

tricky book to assess. the first half is slow, sort of muddled, and repetitious; second half is much stronger, the characters become memorable, the whole thing gathers momentum, and the neat ideas pile up and become integrated. i was grumpy about the first half, and that was too uneven to warrant a 4. but the ideas were compelling, so in the end that's where i landed with my rating. expect sf aliens on earth and in the background also in their own world with its differing perspective on Earth Problems, leading to elements of anthropology in sf, memory holes affecting the plot, and a compelling emphasis on feminism and gender roles. by the end i loved it, found it thought-provoking, and will follow the author. ( )

From first attempt at this book to finally finishing was over a year; from the start of my most recent attempt, less than a week. This is a reflection on this book, but also on my mental state when I've been attempting to read it. It is a layered, complex, nuanced story that requires the reader to immerse themself, and I have not had that level of with-it on my previous attempts.

There is so much happening in this book, and I would love to give a nuanced review. I loved the weirdnesses that came from the multiple viewpoints, the not declaring what those viewpoints represented (except 'the observer', and 'notes towards the understanding of a problem, headings that repeat throughout). The obsession with chocolate, and what it does and doesn't represent. The slow working through of faulty memory, to try and glean what is going on -- the reader doesn't know, because the narrator is truly unreliable, not knowing either. There are multiple explanations given, all of which are true, none of which are complete.

And I loved the core five characters: the only ones that we ever 'spend time with' -- Diana, Leanne, Antoinette, Janet, and Trina. An interesting mixture of people, with a fortuitous meeting. People who had in common geographical location, and being middle-aged women. Such small snippets of their lives get shared (except for the aforementioned unreliable narrator, who isn't clear until some way in to the story, because who names themself in their own head?). ( )