Matrix
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I continue to shout praises of Book People’s mystery box because once again, I read a book that I absolutely would not have bought myself. In fact, I would have actively avoided it because I was not a fan of Lauren Groff’s overly hyped previous work, Fates and Furies. I feel like people would truly not stfu about Fates and Furies when it first came out in 2015; even my boy Obama had it on his top book list. Some brilliant employee at Book People must have seen my review and thought I need to save Lauren Groff’s reputation and send Lyndsay Matrix instead.
Thank you, employee. This book was very experimental and I’m glad that I read it. You get used to the vibe pretty much immediately. I’m not a huge historical fiction girly but I dabble every now and then (Lincoln in the Bardo, The Revisioners, The Plot Against America, The Alice Network, etc.). Matrix is more niche than I would ever typically pursue; it’s about a lesbian bastardess who is forced to become a nun and lead a convent in mid-12th century France. Lol wut. So much to unpack.
The pacing of the book is particularly interesting. It’s told from a third-person point of view and does not use any quotations to punctuate dialogue. This creates a fluid sense of urgency, which helps drive the plot because there’s always a problem needing to be addressed. Convent problems!
There were some things that tripped me up. Some misunderstandings because it’s not like I’m nun-knowledgeable. But, they were opportunities to learn! I’m glad that I read it, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the story itself. If you’re a ~literary person~ who wants to try out experimental writing styles, this is a good choice. It definitely gets points for innovation, but ultimately, it depicts a world that I can’t remotely relate to. It felt like I was reading a book rather than getting lost in a fictional world. That was fine because I kept going back to the fact that it was a unique reading experience, but it doesn’t make me want to recommend the book to everyone I know. So, it receives 3 out of 5 flames.
