The sentences are structured nearly stream of consciousness-style, so you really just have to abide by the rhythm of the words.Īll in all, fantastic novel. It's not a skimmable book, which I thought was really cool. I loved how Koja told her story, the conversational style of the narration had me reading slowly, reading at the pace she dictates with the punctuation to keep me in time. Real, scummy people scraping by and getting in way over their heads.Īnd then, there was the Funhole itself, a weird, terrifying central conceit that makes for the book's high concept hook, then drives it into surreal and artsy new territories. I loved (and hated) the characters, but understood their internal logic. There was just something so grimy about it. Anywhere, here are my scattered thoughts: I may just be in the honeymoon phase here, but I think I'd even say it might be in my top ten favorite horror novels of all time. Nakota and Nicholas are semi-sorta-sometimes a thing (or at least they sleep together, and Nicholas believes he loves Nakota).

She was initially known for her intense speculative fiction for adults, but has written young adult novels, the historical fiction Under the Poppy trilogy, and a fictional biography of Christopher Marlowe. I’ve heard Kathe Koja’s horror novels are excellent, but until now I’d never read one. I had a feeling of pure joy reading it, like I was discovering an original- reading something for the first time that'd come and go out of my life until the very end. Kathe Koja (born 1960) is an American writer. I just finished it the other day, and I can't stop thinking about it.

The Cipher by Kathe Koja