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Amatka
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
20 posts | 22 read | 35 to read
A surreal and shockingly original debut novel set in a dystopian world shaped by language--literally. Vanja, a government worker, leaves her home city of Essre for the austere, wintry colony of Amatka on a research assignment. It takes some adjusting: people act differently in Amatka, and citizens are monitored for signs of subversion. Intending to stay just a short while, Vanja finds herself falling in love with her housemate, Nina, and decides to stick around. But when she stumbles on evidence of a growing threat to the colony and a cover-up by its administration, she begins an investigation that puts her at tremendous risk. In Karin Tidbeck's dystopic imagining, language has the power to shape reality. Unless objects, buildings, and the surrounding landscape are repeatedly named, and named properly, everything will fall apart. Trapped in the repressive colony, Vanja dreams of using language to break free, but her individualism may well threaten the very fabric of reality. Amatka is a beguiling and wholly original novel about freedom, love, and artistic creation by an idiosyncratic new voice.
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rachelsbrittain
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Pickpick

A dystopia novella about a woman researching the hygiene habits of a neighboring commune called Amatka, where words and language are an integral part of maintaining societal structure and misuse of it is therefore considered a subversive act. Slowly over the course of the story we begin to peel back the layers and understand a bit of whats going on. Really eerie and compelling.

TW for suicide

jessjess That sounds very interesting! 2y
50 likes1 stack add1 comment
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rachelsbrittain
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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1. Set my Heart to Five, Cloud Cuckoo Land, Lore Olympus, and Amatka

2. Sweet potato casserole

3. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

#WeekendReads

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Victoria6
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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vivastory
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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#TBRPile Day 5
Posting one book per day from my shelves for 31 days. No reason, no explanation. Creating a TBR from my TBR & dusting all my shelves, too!
@StaceyKondla

LeahBergen Jeez. I should do this (I could keep posting for years 😆). 4y
StaceyKondla @LeahBergen - join us!! I plan on doing this for years 😂 4y
74 likes2 comments
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lorannen
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck

This month's #bookclub pick! I'm enjoying it so far, though I think it's one of those books that sets out to intentionally unbalance the reader.

I was honestly surprised to read mention of jewelry in this otherwise seemingly utilitarian society!

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Kathrin
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Pickpick

This was pretty awesome. For a dystopian novel very short and also not part of a series.

This works if you are looking for a book to complete #RHC translated book by a woman.

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ness
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Pickpick

First full book of #24in48 done! This was a weird one. The dialogue was sometimes a little clunky (which may have been the translation), but the rest of the prose was sparse and hard and beautiful. A queer dystopian book where naming things makes them real. Four hours done; 20 to go!

15 likes1 stack add
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ness
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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1.5 hours of Amatka to kick off #24in48! It‘s slowish going—I‘m guessing because it‘s a work in translation, maybe? Regardless, interesting so far. But bedtime for me!

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dwhatson
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
Pickpick

Karin Tidbeck covers a lot of ground in 213 pages and does it with an understated elegance. This was deceptively quick read and I found myself ruminating upon Tidbeck's novel for a few days after I'd finished it. With each reflection, there's something new to unpack. If weird, strange or speculative fiction is your thing then "Amatka" beckons.

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ness
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Someone blurbed this as, essentially, without being named, things disappear + queer + REVOLUTION, so I am in.

14 likes1 stack add
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LizzieLou
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Pickpick

Really intriguing concept for the future. The ending was a little vague, but I like the direction it was headed. Easy to let your imagination take up where it left off.

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LizzieLou
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Just started this one and I'm already hooked.

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malloryomeara
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Pickpick

Weird and compelling! I really loved this!

13 likes6 stack adds
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mauveandrosysky
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Mehso-so

I had no idea how I'd be rating it until the very end. It's completely readable and thought provoking, but with a story like this, so much depends on how it all comes together.

It's a fascinating premise, and it maintained the right amount of obscurity throughout to keep me needing to know more. But the payoff just wasn't enough. I'm more than okay with ambiguity in novels—often I even prefer it—but I needed more than what Amatka delivered.

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vivastory
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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A 50$ b&n #bookhaul
Karin Tidbeck's "Amatka" is straight to paperback. Here's what Jeff Vandermeer said of it, "A stunning, truly original exploration of the mysteries of reality & what it means to be human. One of my favorite reads of the past few years, an instant classic."

vivastory @TobeyTheScavengerMonk While browsing, I saw the following. Wasn't aware of this one 7y
Sweettartlaura You're gonna love 7y
saresmoore Ooh! Very fun! I have an unread copy of Night Watch, too. I do think it's probably a good one for you to start with. (edited) 7y
vivastory @saresmoore I also plan on reading Good Omens soon 7y
62 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Liberty
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Afternoon reading. 📚

nebrinkley This cover reminds me of DARK MATTER. 7y
101 likes7 stack adds1 comment
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TorieStorieS
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Mehso-so

This is a rather strange read... definitely one I wish I'd read with a book club or something! Has a great build-up that's full of dystopian fun, but the end fizzles quite a bit... #afterlife #junetunz

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Paty1
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
Mehso-so

First of all I really loved how the world of Amatka was constructed in the book, the atmosphere, the tension. Only for that I feel this book deserves being a pick. However the last 25 pages were not at all consistent with the previous chapters. Instead of finding closure this great story just vanishes in chaos and that for me is a great loss because until that point I was enjoying it a lot. A min of silence for what should have been a pick 3.5/5🌟

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Paty1
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck

I finished this book 20 min ago. I'm not really sure of what happenned during the last 15 pages nor if I like the ending🙈. The rest of the book was so good though... I think I need couple of days to make up my mind (yeah it def is one of those books 😅)

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Paty1
Amatka | Karin Tidbeck
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Loving it so far! Also, how pretty is this cover? 💓

3 likes1 stack add