Engrossing story that kept me turning the pages. A good book for discussion groups and those looking for a book with issues to discuss, .

I requested The Alternatives because I'm trying to read more Irish fiction, I love stories about sisters, and this author and I have a similar name :)

I think I might not be cerebral enough to appreciate The Entire Book as a work of genius, but Caoilinn Hughes is obviously super brilliant. Maeve's POV especially had me laughing out loud. My favorite parts were Act I and Act II's mini-plays (coolest thing I've read all year). The sisters are all so smart but at times I felt like I was reading a (more feminist, less TERFy) John Galt speech every chapter.

The Alternatives is cohesive, timely, experimental, and honestly silly! I love the girl bossery of it all - it has the spirit of a 90s movie without being fatphobic and centered on the male gaze.

I agree with the other reviewers that this is a challenging novel. It wasn’t so much the structure -the play like interlude, Shades of Shakespeare with the interactions among sisters. I had a difficult time with the stone and geologic analogies along with the philosophic references. It just didn’t seem to hang together.

A well drawn novel about four highly intelligent Irish sisters.
One sister disappears and the other three set out to find her.
This book covers many current themes including ecology, humanity, philosophy, and politics.
I recommend this satisfying novel!

i can honestly say i don't think i've ever read another book quite like this one.

the alternatives weaves together the stories of four irish sisters who have grown apart in their adult lives following the death of their parents. when olwen, the eldest sister, goes missing, the three other sisters come together for the first time in years to find her and figure out what's going on.

even though the premise of this book sounds thriller-esque, this is a pretty quiet story. ultimately, it focuses on how the four flattery sisters embody different types of care for one another, for themselves, and for the world around them. they all are experts in their fields of study-- olwen in earth science, rhona in political science, maeve in cooking, and nell in philosophy-- but even with their intelligence and expertise in communicating in their respective careers and public lives, they struggle to communicate effectively with one another. i found the interpersonal dynamics between each sister so interesting and complex and well-told.

i also really enjoyed the format of this book! i'll admit that it dragged a bit in the first and third parts for me, but the second part is written like a play, and i thought that was such a genius choice for when the characters all were together in the same place for the first time. i also appreciated that we got some time in the first part of the book following each individual sister, because this really helped me understand their motivations and quirks and why they interacted with the other sisters the way they did. the way the story wrapped up in the end (for each sister) was perfect.

i definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys literary fiction, and to readers who prefer to read more understated, character-driven stories.

thank you to the publisher for sending a digital ARC my way via netgalley!

This was a challenging and surprising little novel. While I picked up the book for its the fairytale-esque plot of searching for a missing older sister, I stayed for the philosophical and abstract commentary on aging and climate change. And lest that make it sound too academic, there is so much heart and humor in this book as well. The dynamics and relationships between the sisters have the feeling of real lived history. At times it reminded me of another dark show about Irish sisters-Bad Sisters. While tackling different subject matter, this book similarly tackles essential issues with humor. I highly recommend.

A slow but contemplative and gorgeous novel. Set in Ireland and revolving around 3 sisters looking for their 4th sister who has gone off the grid, I loved the relationships shown, the familial love between sisters, and the comments on climate change. A beautiful book!

Delightful and challenging, this is a fine new novel from a writer who seems both brainy and someone you’d like to know. The story of the four sisters, interwoven with history and future speculation, can be wordy and abstract at times, but it’s also tremendous fun, flirty, humane and constantly surprising. There’s a lot to unpack, and nothing finally seems certain, but that’s in keeping with the questions the book is posing about some essential dilemmas. I’ll be recommending this one.