I also read this, perhaps on a previous recommendation you shared. I didn't enjoy it that much. The second half of the book with the dying child could've been a point where the protagonist became more aware of the difference between Internet memes and real life but the writing didn't make it seem like the protagonist learned anything. But perhaps we read it with different expectations.
I think it didn't help that the first half of the book's infinite scroll format was kept for the second half of the book. And so for me, the emotional impact of this second half was blunted. It might've been more effective emotionally / narratively to just write the second half of the book in regular prose, for the character to internally grapple with these internal emotional conflicts that are surfaced up due to these events that happen in real life.
I bought and read the book on your recommendation! It wasn't what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. Though the protagonist's progressive politics were obvious, I hadn't really thought of the political angle you describe here, because I didn't think of the values of love and caring for family as inherently conservative.
Obviously we're talking about this as a sort of loose categorization. Conservatives are perfectly capable of fighting against oppression or being mad at big corporations. Lefties are fully able to love their families and protect children. But the vibes for certain actions and principles do lean one way or the other.
If this was a stereotypical progressive narrative, there would probably be a big faceless healthcare or insurance corporation that was the villain. Or the author would highlight the injustice of capitalism leading to this, or something. Instead it's a woman who finds solace in leaving the digital world and becoming a caretaker for her family, while she is surprised to learn how much she values a child's life even though the baby is doomed and many people would have just aborted it. It definitely leans in the direction of conservative, and I think it's a better story for having done so.
(i think the reverse is also true, btw - progressive morals are best communicated when conservative or right-leaning characters are the ones who have to grapple with them)
I also read this, perhaps on a previous recommendation you shared. I didn't enjoy it that much. The second half of the book with the dying child could've been a point where the protagonist became more aware of the difference between Internet memes and real life but the writing didn't make it seem like the protagonist learned anything. But perhaps we read it with different expectations.
I think it didn't help that the first half of the book's infinite scroll format was kept for the second half of the book. And so for me, the emotional impact of this second half was blunted. It might've been more effective emotionally / narratively to just write the second half of the book in regular prose, for the character to internally grapple with these internal emotional conflicts that are surfaced up due to these events that happen in real life.
Well said Jeremiah
This book made me cry so hard.
Worth it!
I bought and read the book on your recommendation! It wasn't what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. Though the protagonist's progressive politics were obvious, I hadn't really thought of the political angle you describe here, because I didn't think of the values of love and caring for family as inherently conservative.
Obviously we're talking about this as a sort of loose categorization. Conservatives are perfectly capable of fighting against oppression or being mad at big corporations. Lefties are fully able to love their families and protect children. But the vibes for certain actions and principles do lean one way or the other.
If this was a stereotypical progressive narrative, there would probably be a big faceless healthcare or insurance corporation that was the villain. Or the author would highlight the injustice of capitalism leading to this, or something. Instead it's a woman who finds solace in leaving the digital world and becoming a caretaker for her family, while she is surprised to learn how much she values a child's life even though the baby is doomed and many people would have just aborted it. It definitely leans in the direction of conservative, and I think it's a better story for having done so.
(i think the reverse is also true, btw - progressive morals are best communicated when conservative or right-leaning characters are the ones who have to grapple with them)