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Zazen (2011)

by Vanessa Veselka(Favorite Author)

3.62 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1935869051 (ISBN13: 9781935869054)

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

Red Lemonade/Cursor

review 1: I'm not sure I got much of what I was supposed to from this book, but was contentedly carried through by Della's struggle to connect with anything in this book. As a rebellious, educated young person, she opposes all the usual stuff. However, she is unable to find a comfortable place in opposition, and struggles with pousers and dangerous radicals. She faces (nearly, if not) everyone with some combination of distrust, derision, hatred, and fear. Often Veselka portrays this with solid wit, but it still comes across as a terrifying struggle for grounding.
review 2: Having lived in Portland for a few years, the setting felt familiar even though this book tackles a dystopian version of the United States. Unfortunately, the vegans, sex-positive, self-righteous spelt... more-eating radical hippies are the worst cliches of living in Portland. The protagonist Della at least views this scene as silly and even maddening at times. She works as a waitress, comes from laughably extreme liberal parents, and fantasizes about bombing various buildings...but then someone actually starts setting off bombs in those exact places. In this alternate universe, everyone seems to be deciding whether to leave to far-off "uncorrupted" places such as Bali, Costa Rica, or Thailand. Della goes back and forth on this issue many times. Mainly, I'm just not all that interested in radical politics and justification for violent protest, and all of these characters made me infuriated at one point or another. less

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