How High We Go in the Dark: A Novel

Len Joy

Frightening, compassionate, and hopeful

"Sequoia Nagamatsu’s “How High We Go in the Dark” is an impressive work of art. A group of anthropologists working in Siberia, discover the body of a prehistoric child and they inadvertently unleash a pandemic virus that kills children. That sounds awful and if I had read a review with that as an intro, I probably would have passed on the book. Which would have been a shame. At the end of the novel there is an interview with Nagamatsu, conducted by Jane Ciabattari from Literary Hub. She asked a great question, which I think captured the true brilliance of this century-long saga: “This is a novel about death and dying, massive climate change, an enduring pandemic, grief and loss, unresolved personal conflicts, funerals, memorials, how to retrieve or honor the dead, the potential death of a planet. And yet it’s warm, human, moving, even hopeful. How did you do that?” He has a good answer, but it’s better to read the book and discover for yourself. Highly, highly recommended. ["

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May 9, 2023 Verified Purchase

Heather

Interesting Book

"3.75 rounded to 4 ⭐. This book is written in a series of short stories that interlocked with each other. I actually loved this and seeing references to things from other stories in each one, even if it was something small. It really made the overarching timeline feel linear. The dystopian vibes were well done. It was a very character focused book, with each story focusing on a different character over the course of a years, from the discovery of a 30,000 year old body because of global warming that spreads a deadly virus through the world to the aftermath of finding a cure and exploring space to see if there's another habitable world out there. The final story in the book really brought everything together and made it feel even more cohesive. The book also talks about real issues we could face with global warming and pandemics on a grand scale (even bigger than Covid). It made the book feel relevant and offers many "what if" scenarios. The stories are bleak, but there is also a message of hope in each one. I enjoyed the book but some of the short stories dragged for me because I just didn't like the characters and overall the book felt slow to me. I feel like this book deserves a reread to see if there were things I missed knowing how it ends and how things are connected but it will be a while before I dive back in. ["

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June 1, 2025 Verified Purchase

JKers

A hard read

"This book was completely not what I expected based on reading the description at time of purchase. I found it very difficult reading, not because of how it's written or any such thing as vocabulary etc. It's the subject matter I found very troubling. Reading about plague that kills people this is very difficult. Spoiler Alert: This book is quite a bit about death and how people deal with it. I thought it was a Sci-Fi novel and it is but it definitely wasn't what I expected. I especially disliked the chapter about the amusement park. I found it to be very disturbing. I also found the chapters about how people dealt with plague death disturbing as well. The subject matter aside I think the book is well written and written in a very interesting fashion. It's a collection of short stories woven together with a common theme and some reoccurring characters. I found that very interesting. One chapter I did like was the one on the people voyaging into the future and to another planet. That chapter was a bit more hopeful. I also felt the book was well wrapped up in the last chapter and brought the story full circle. In the end I can't say I really liked this book. I really wouldn't read it again and I don't know if I'd recommend it to anyone as a casual read. I suppose it might be good for a book club that's looking for subject matter that you could get a good discussion out of. I just found this book to disturbing, in my opinion. ["

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January 30, 2023 Verified Purchase

Monica Restrepo

Magic Realism

"I don’t remember how this book came to me, but I do remember it was due to Chapter 2. For some reason the concept of that story really captivated me and I needed to read it. What I didn’t know then is the treat I was in for. What a journey of a book. I can’t really explain how thoroughly I enjoyed it and how marvelous it was to see it all connecting chapter after chapter. This felt a little like a cheeky thing when it came down to the plague and how life with COVID was. That’s where the magical realism comes for me. I loved how all the “main” characters were Asian, mostly Japanese, and how rich culturally each story is. I have never read something as unique as this. It made me think about death in a different way. Wonderful. Wonderful. Nothing but praise to this novel. ["

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May 10, 2026 Verified Purchase

Beth Deese

beautifully written

"A strange and interesting book about a deadly virus that emerges from the frozen ice in Siberia after being contained for millennia and how it impacts society, nearly destroying it. It especially resonates after living through the Covid pandemic and I wonder if the author wrote this book with that in mind. While Covid was tragic, this virus is far more so and the world is ravaged with death to the point that everything in society must change to accommodate the vast amount of dead. The book moves through about a hundred year span of the virus’s journey character by character. It’s interesting to see the progression of life and long term impact on the world but it’s also a bit unsatisfying because you don’t get full stories or completed stories for the characters. I found the book sad and provocative. If you’re looking for a cheerful read, this isn’t it. But it’s a book that will cause you to reflect and ask questions and wonder about possibilities. ["

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April 19, 2024 Verified Purchase