Name: Sarah Sammis's review of California by Edan Lepucki
Item: California
Rating: 5
Author: Sarah Sammis

Edan Lepucki

"In her arresting debut novel, Edan Lepucki conjures a lush, intricate, deeply disturbing vision of the future, then masterfully exploits its dramatic possibilities." ---Jennifer Egan, author of A Visit from the Goon Squad The world Cal and Frida have always known is gone, and they've left the crumbling city of Los Angeles far behind them. They now live in a shack in the wilderness, working side-by-side to make their days tolerable in the face of hardship and isolation. Mourning a past they can't reclaim, they seek solace in each other. But the tentative existence they've built for themselves is thrown into doubt when Frida finds out she's pregnant. Terrified of the unknown and unsure of their ability to raise a child alone, Cal and Frida set out for the nearest settlement, a guarded and paranoid community with dark secrets. These people can offer them security, but Cal and Frida soon realize this community poses dangers of its own. In this unfamiliar world, where everything and everyone can be perceived as a threat, the couple must quickly decide whom to trust. A gripping and provocative debut novel by a stunning new talent, California imagines a frighteningly realistic near future, in which clashes between mankind's dark nature and deep-seated resilience force us to question how far we will go to protect the ones we love.

A Novel

California

Josh Warner

Sarah Sammis

Besides being like Lord of the Flies, the novel reminds me of a thematic cross between the 1987 film, Cherry 2000 (for the defunct Southern California setting) and the song "(Nothing but) Flowers" by the Talking Heads. 

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2017/comm...

Aubrey Hicks

"Lepucki's cautious dystopia never quite asks the right questions of us, ultimately to the detriment of the novel." This is from the LATimes review ... and ultimately I agree. In a wave of dystopian, post-apocalyptic novels, this one falls flat. It starts with promise, but Edan Lepuki doesn't push hard enough with her characters and ultimately leaves the reader without a sense that there was any direction in her meanderings.

Jeannette Ordas

I'm always drawn to post-apocalyptic stories and this one started out well, but it not only had a weak ending but middle wasn't all that gripping for me. I didn't find any of the characters very likable (not always required), but this didn't do the book any favours either. A decent read, but it's no mad dash.

Natalia Hernandez

Dejé una reseña del libro en mi blog, en español: 
http://natified.com/2015/01/09/libros...


California is the tale of a world/country in the future, where technology is a luxury, food is scarce, and many people died after a huge earthquake. How the world ended up like this is not really explained, because the story is centered on a married couple -Frida and Cal- who try to get by, living out in the woods, hunting, trying to be at peace considering there are no other people around. Obviously, that changes and they have to learn how to deal with Frida wanting to be surrounded by others and Cal wanting to keep his family safe.

It was a bit difficult for me to get into the story but once I did, it was a good read. There are flashbacks, memories, and that's how the story unfolds, how you get to know the characters and what makes them tick. It can get a little tiring, to be honest, the back and forth in the narration, but if you can get by it, you'll enjoy the book. I found the ending to be a bit rushed and all over-the-place.

The world Cal and Frida have always known is gone, and they've left the crumbling city of Los Angeles far behind them. They now live in a shack in the wilderness, working side-by-side to make their days tolerable in the face of hardship and isolation. Mourning a past they can't reclaim, they seek solace in each other. But the tentative existence they've built for themselves is thrown into doubt when Frida finds out she's pregnant. Terrified of the unknown and unsure of their ability to raise a child alone, Cal and Frida set out for the nearest settlement, a guarded and paranoid community with dark secrets. These people can offer them security, but Cal and Frida soon realize this community poses dangers of its own. In this unfamiliar world, where everything and everyone can be perceived as a threat, the couple must quickly decide whom to trust. A gripping and provocative debut novel by a stunning new talent, California imagines a frighteningly realistic near future, in which clashes between mankind's dark nature and deep-seated resilience force us to question how far we will go to protect the ones we love. "In her arresting debut novel, Edan Lepucki conjures a lush, intricate, deeply disturbing vision of the future, then masterfully exploits its dramatic possibilities."-Jennifer Egan, author of A Visit from the Goon Squad

Jenny

This book has an outstanding amount of 5 star reviews, but I don’t really see the appeal. It’s a good story, great imagery and setting, but kind of boring for me, and I didn’t care for most of the characters. It was clear what was going to happen from the beginning. I’d be willing to check out Edan’s other books if she has any, I enjoyed her writing style in California. 

Melody Izard

I won this book for First Reads. 

There's been a big break down. The people who have money have locked themselves up in communities that they totally control. But then there is the problem of goods and services. What? You've started reading the book and that is not what it's about? Sorry. Don't mean to spoil it. But eventually, yeah, that's what it's about. 

Each little community has it's own agenda and you have to comply, or out you go.

I had just learned about Deep Springs College and I'm pretty sure the alternative college where a couple of the characters had attended is based on this 2 year school of higher learning. Pretty neat to recognize it.

I'll read her other stuff.

Natalie Hanna

This book started off so insanely up my alley that I really believed I was gonna find a new favorite book, unfortunately it fell flat at the end.

A few reviews I've read were pretty critical of the characters, but honestly they really came through for me. It has been quite awhile since I have really fallen in love with a character but for some reason I really, really enjoyed one of the main characters, Cal. His wife and the other main character, Frida, was definitely annoying but it just ended up making me love Cal more for putting up with that turkey baster obsessed brat. 

The writing wasn't too bad but sometimes the author would make choices that really didn't work for me, like strange similes that pulled me right out of the story. Despite those clunky writing choices, I was enjoying the book so much that for most of the novel I didn't care at all cause I liked the concept, the story and Cal.

Where everything ended up falling short for me was the ending. I just found it kind of disappointing and I feel like it didn't fit very well with the build up. The thing that happens was really the last thing I would want to have happened. It is always sad when that happens, because it can sort of ruin the whole book, but overall I found it to be an entertaining book.

Emily C Peterson

Jessica 

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Review also found here. (*3.5 stars) Edan Lepucki is really on a roll with her novels. Although California was-at times-slow to the point, the prose was incredibly haunting and moving. Unlike most dystopian novels, this one felt... I want to say organic? Like many in the genre, it had its flaws--its bad guys, its struggles, its accusations, but it felt far more real/emotional than many other releases out there. This is entirely due to the velvety smooth and deeply moving way Lepucki has with words--her prose feels like something more than you can explain. 

I really enjoyed the concept of it: from the state of the world, to the communities, to the Group*. It is compelling and mysterious, atmospheric and lively. Moments go by and it's almost dreamy in a spooky sort of way. I think that's what strikes me most about California: it is laid back and yet there's still some high stakes going on that you wonder what's really boiling beneath the surface as the plot unfolds. 

Frida and Cal are a fascinating pair of characters to read about and their relationship is... I can't explain it? There's just something to them--to the way they live, to the way they love--that pulls at something in your heart and mind. You get tangled and invested in their life outside; their life now and before. 

There were other characters that we meet along that way that stir something in your chest, too. I'd call it fear and curiosity and intrigue all tied into one. I loved the general grayness to the morals of a few characters. You can't help but wonder, what's happening? and ask yourself what happens next. I felt like the ending was very open and could have been unsatisfying but at the same time, it was fitting and maybe a little chilling. 

Overall, California was an unexpected triumph. It had its moments that felt lackluster to me but it more than redeemed itself as it got into its own grove. Lepucki is the kind of writer who's words you want to wrap yourself up in.

G. Jason Head

So I sorta liked this. I thought the characters were well developed, the story was good and the everything about it was rather interesting. The ending was just a bit soft, but I think this was a 100% setup for a second or third book in this series.

Josh Warner &
California by Edan Lepucki

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