Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi

Hey book lovers! I can’t believe it’s been a month since my last post. I’ve been reading, but haven’t been in the mood to write for some reason. I imagine it’s because we didn’t have a March break at school until this week, and so March was a very long month both as an educator and a parent. We have this week off, and our province is on lockdown, so I am looking forward to catching up on some book reviews. Today, I’m here with a book review for Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi. After giving Gingerbread 3 stars, I wanted to give Oyeyemi another go. There’s something special about her writing and I know one of her books will become an all-time favourite, I just have to find the right one. Peaces is a really weird train ride that had me feeling confused for most of it, yet, I wanted to keep reading! This cover though – wow, this cover grabbed my attention when I saw it on Netgalley.

About The Book 📚

Title: Peaces

Author: Helen Oyeyemi

Publication Date: April 6, 2021

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton
Penguin Random House Canada digital galley from Netgalley

Suggested Reader Age: Adult

Genre: General Fiction, Magical Realism, LGBT, Romance

Synopsis

“Peaces is the story of Otto and Xavier Shin, a couple who embark from Kent on a mysterious train that takes them far beyond any destination they could have anticipated. As the carriages roll along they become embroiled in intrigue – who is Ava Kapoor, the sole full-time inhabitant of the train, and what is her relationship to a man named Prem? Are they passengers or prisoners? We discover who orchestrated the journey, hurtling them all into their past for clues.”
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56749505-peaces

About The Author

“Helen Oyeyemi wrote her first novel, The Icarus Girl, while still at school studying for her A levels at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School. While studying social and political sciences at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, two of her plays, Juniper’s Whitening and Victimese, were performed by fellow students to critical acclaim and subsequently published by Methuen. Helen Oyeyemi’s latest book, the story collection What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, is available now.” http://helenoyeyemi.com/

My Review

“Have you ever had an offensively easy breakup?”

› Honza and Otto had an easy breakup. Now, Otto, his husband Otto, and their pet mongoose, Arpad, are having a non-honeymoon on a very strange train called The Lucky Day. There are five passengers: Otto, Xavier, Ava Kapoor (and her pet mongoose Chela), Allegra and Laura (train conductors). Laura instructs Otto that he and Xavier are not allowed to speak to Ms. Kapoor or Chela. Otto doesn’t listen to her of course. Some aren’t who they are appear to be. Some unknowingly know each other. The passengers compare notes to try and figure things out before they read their unknown destination. Peaces is a bizarre train ride down the rabbit hole.

› I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: The characters were not well-developed. I didn’t understand their goals or backstory, but I do love to see the LGBT rep. 4

› Atmosphere: The descriptions were lacking, but the train setting was well done. I didn’t feel anything. 5

› Writing Style: The dialogue was great, but the writing style itself is incredibly confusing. 6

› Plot: There isn’t really a plot. 4

› Intrigue: Although Peaces lacked a real plot, I did want to keep reading. 7

› Logic: Absolutely no logic here. This story did not make sense, it was extremely confusing. 6

› Enjoyment: I didn’t like the characters, atmosphere, plot, or logic, yet I did find myself intrigued and turning pages. I’m having a really hard time putting a rating on this one. 7

Average 5.6

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• Meandering, whimsical, nonsensical, Peaces is a very bizarre story that will leave you feeling confused, yet oddly entertained. The strange train compartments reminded me of Snowpiercer, the magical realism gave me Anna-Marie McLemore vibes (but McLemore does it better).