Palimpsest by Catherynne M Valente

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Publication Date: February 24th, 2009

Pages: 367 Genre: Fantasy (Portal Fantasy/New Weird)

This book is a portal fantasy, where instead of an entrance being a train station platform, a rabbit hole or a wardrobe, it is having sex with someone who has a map on their body to Palimpsest. It's the better done version of It Follows, which I absolutely hated it but liked this a lot. The main characters are November (a beekeeper), Oleg (a New York City locksmith), Ludovico (rare book binder) and a young Japanese woman named Sei. They've all lost someone, a sister, mother, wife, direction in life.

I enjoyed it, despite the mournful feel to it. The main 4 people are all very broken and are continuously have sex to try to get to Palimpsest, just like a drug addict trying to get their next score of meth. One girl who was sleeping with one of the guys was so broken that she'd take drugs to avoid going to the city and avoiding having sex completely. The sex is not sexy in this, its described as dry and sometimes the leads are not even trying. They are eating or even have the energy. I liked how some of the characters were similar to Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan from The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe.

The city itself was a character in itself. I love fantasy novels with fantastic world building and I think Palimpsest was an intriguing city. It was made up of broken people emotionally and even some physically. There was a girl with a jaguar jaw sewn on to her face. There was a factory that built all the bugs, rats and other vermin. There was train stations and all different parts. Everyone's map was a different part of the city, which meant that everyone got to go to a different part of the city.

The prose was very purple, which took away to get used to. One scene had a man's hands described as beekeepers hands. Yes, I know that we have a beekeeper in the novel but when have you ever looked at a man and thought that? There was also far too many metaphors for sex scenes sometimes, but you just get used to it. I also love Catherynne Valente and am on a goal to read all of her books.

4/5

I liked it, but I'd honestly hesitate to recommend it to a lot of people just because it is so weird. I remember not wanting anyone to ask me what I was reading so I wouldn't have to explain that I'm reading a portal fantasy sex novel. Although one of my friends does want to read it now. I'd recommend it to people who like weird fantasies, portal fantasies or people who like purple prose.

Cheers,

Jen