The Cartographers by Amy Zhang: A Review

 

It's finally spring time and whats more perfect than a book that spends a lot of time underground! A big thank you to the lovely folks at Harper 360YA for sending me this and now let's get on with the show.

Plot Time: Ocean Wu is 17 and living off grid in a random apartment with two roommates in New York city. When she ends up at the station during a blackout she meets the enigmatic Constatine Brave however things are never what they seem and soon hearts are broken, frienships are damaged and everything falls apart.

This book broke me! It's an emotional rollercoaster full of sadness and tender moments that will honestly stick with you for a very long time. Ocean's unique viewpoint as she is currently experiencing disassociation and depression is absolutely heartbreakign and slowly throughout the story she opens up and you learn more about her situation and why she is how she is.

When she meets Constantine her world opens up but what I lvoed most was this isn't a romance . This is a story of someone realising they aren't as bad as they think that everything is fixable. It's a story fo redemption and I really loved that message.I especially lvoed the motif of the station and the train maps as moments of change in Ocean's life.

The way Zhang tied in philosphy really gave this book a dark academia vibe and at times reminded me of A Little Life which is the highest compliment I can bestow.  Overall I loved this bookn and loved finding out about Ocean. I'm going  to miss her

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