This is one longwinded, weird read! But I surprisingly enjoyed it. Taty Went West by Nikhil Singh starts with a quote from William Burroughs, so you know right from the start you're in for a wild ride. There's also a character named after Burroughs in the book. As you'd expect from a fan of Burroughs, it's a very hallucinogenic book filled with poetic language.

This one wasn’t for me. I appreciate the chance to check out something new that I wouldn’t ordinarily come across. I think there are readers out there for this, the current equivalent of people who read Burroughs and Spinrad in the ‘70s and ‘80s, maybe even those who read Gibson in the ‘90s.

I may come back to this at some point, but I didn't finish it. I normally like weird, but this was frustrating and hard to connect with.

DNFed at 22%. I really tried to finish it but I found myself incapable of getting into it.

So it started out as some weird dystopia. And then, just as you’re figuring out the world, comes Chapter 4.

Weird. AF.

The iconography alone is bizarre.

So, maybe this isn’t “bizarro” level stuff. But, so far, it’s some of the weirdest stuff I’ve read, and I’m not even 10% in.

And just as I start getting used to this insane dystopia comes a Cthulhuian alternate dimension. What’s this book about, dammit‽ (Like my use of the interrobang, there?)

This was really hard to get through. I find it difficult to read full-length novels that don’t seem to have a real plot or protagonist, or are full of weird sex. I don’t know if I can characterize books like that as “bad” or “just not my thing”.

I read an <a href=”http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/100african/nikhil-singh/”>interesting discussion of the book and author</a>. The article notes:

“To understand Nikhil's writing, understand his connection to place. He has a terrific memory for detail, yes, but his fantasy inventions go beyond that. The fantasy makes the atmosphere of a place solid.”

Ok, maybe. But should I have to understand the author to understand (or enjoy) their writing?

The article continues…

“Right now I read <i>Taty Went West</i> as a dreamscape of white South African psychology. The sense of being separate from the land, a land still Jurassic with dinosaurs in the woods. Young people listening to pop in authoritarian suburbs long to escape it.”

Interesting. But still...

And then, there’s rape. I don’t like it.

The article discusses this, too:

“There is a lot of prostitution and rape in the book. Does [the author] fear that his work will be read as a rape fantasy?”

The author is quoted: ”It's extreme, but rape is a reality. I never leave Taty's point of view when it happens so it's never viewed from the outside as something exciting. There is so much rape in South Africa, they practically sell rape. There are very few support systems and people just have to deal with it on their own. I have many friends, acquaintances who were raped. Some of them tested positive for HIV. In South Africa, rape is in my face—drug-induced date rape, gang rape, in middle class clubs, in townships—aggressive misogyny everywhere. To say it doesn't happen or we shouldn't write about it comes from a position of privilege."

I get that rape is real. And it needs to be addressed. And art and literature is one way to do that. I just didn’t like the way it was done here.

I didn’t completely hate this book. It had some interesting ideas. It just was definitely not for me.

But remember:

<i>Religion is the Devil’s greatest triumph…</i>

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Rosarium Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

This is one of those books that has grand ideas but poor execution. The author spends so much time describing the landscape, the environment, etc, that there isn't enough time spent on developing characters. The world-building is very well done, but without a sense of who the characters are it is difficult to fully invest in the story.