Ann Somerville - Hidden Faults
This novel is one of my recent rereads (sometimes I thank my extremely short memory for letting me enjoy the same stories over and over again!).
The story was summarized by the author as follows:
In a world where paranormals are persecuted, medical researcher Jodimai hon Belwin works to find a 'cure' for paranormality so 'paras' can lead normal lives again. His society is dominated by religious bigotry as much as paranoia over paranomal abilities, so he struggles to keep his homosexuality secret for the sake of his family and his career. But unbeknownst to him, he has another secret, and when that secret is suddenly uncovered, his comfortable life comes to a horrifying end. Now his fate rests with the much-hated paranormals, and in particular, a mysterious dark-eyed man with powers Jodi can barely comprehend, and many shocking secrets of his own.
I do not always enjoy books set in fantasy worlds and the main reason for this is that I spend too much time figuring out the details of the new world instead of concentrating on the storyline. However, this story does a good job of presenting a world which is unfamiliar without being confusing. The summary indicates that there will be a lot of prejudice and persecution in the story and Hidden Faults certainly lives up to that promise. If you open this novel, be prepared to witness a considerable amount of physical and mental suffering. To be fair (and not to scare anyone off), this is not a kind of story where characters' pain is described in great detail just to horrify the readers. I would rather say it is an integral part of the story, necessary to understand the situation. And of course it gets better - eventually.
There is also a romance in Hidden Faults but the plot is mostly focused on paranormals and their social position rather than romantic developments, which is just the way I like it. It is great when a book has a real, interesting plot instead of a vague background for the personal relationship between protagonists.
To sum it up, I read it (twice!) with pleasure. The only drawback I could point out is that the ending felt somewhat rushed to me, but even that did not diminish the overall positive impression.
The story was summarized by the author as follows:
In a world where paranormals are persecuted, medical researcher Jodimai hon Belwin works to find a 'cure' for paranormality so 'paras' can lead normal lives again. His society is dominated by religious bigotry as much as paranoia over paranomal abilities, so he struggles to keep his homosexuality secret for the sake of his family and his career. But unbeknownst to him, he has another secret, and when that secret is suddenly uncovered, his comfortable life comes to a horrifying end. Now his fate rests with the much-hated paranormals, and in particular, a mysterious dark-eyed man with powers Jodi can barely comprehend, and many shocking secrets of his own.
I do not always enjoy books set in fantasy worlds and the main reason for this is that I spend too much time figuring out the details of the new world instead of concentrating on the storyline. However, this story does a good job of presenting a world which is unfamiliar without being confusing. The summary indicates that there will be a lot of prejudice and persecution in the story and Hidden Faults certainly lives up to that promise. If you open this novel, be prepared to witness a considerable amount of physical and mental suffering. To be fair (and not to scare anyone off), this is not a kind of story where characters' pain is described in great detail just to horrify the readers. I would rather say it is an integral part of the story, necessary to understand the situation. And of course it gets better - eventually.
There is also a romance in Hidden Faults but the plot is mostly focused on paranormals and their social position rather than romantic developments, which is just the way I like it. It is great when a book has a real, interesting plot instead of a vague background for the personal relationship between protagonists.
To sum it up, I read it (twice!) with pleasure. The only drawback I could point out is that the ending felt somewhat rushed to me, but even that did not diminish the overall positive impression.