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Slow Burn on Jupiter: A Short Review of The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2024-06-20  

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles is the direct sequel to The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older. It is a deeper, richer book than the first one (which I liked, even if I could not entirely explain why), but its pleasures are still not entirely based on what is advertised on the cover or in the blurb.

The book is once again a mystery, though of several types, and once again, the plot itself is not exceptional. The reveal of the murderer is almost an afterthought, and the mystery itself is not especially compelling. Once again, the characters and the world building sell the novel.

The romance is slightly better handled in this book, in my opinion, than in the previous entry. That is largely, I think, because the focus is not on the romance per se but rather one character navigating the uncertainty of emotion that an early, intense romance brings. It is one of the best depictions of how disorienting it can be to be in love with a person and not entirely understand why or why they love you back. Some of the best scenes involve the main character struggling with her uncertainty, not in a rom-com manner, but as an adult does, with how she has become so enamored of another character, how far that mutual enamoration (shut up, it is too a word. I just used it.) goes, and how to deal with her feelings without being hurt too badly or losing her relationship.

It is very well done, as is the world building and what the world building implies. We are definitely on Jupiter, despite the planet’s name change, something that wasn’t entirely clear before, and the two books are slowly developing not only a rich society for Jupiter and its moons, but also use that society to ask important questions. The society is trying to get back to Earth, and I don’t want to spoil too much so I will be circumspect, with the main character having a privileged role in that effort. But the main character starts to ask some uneasy questions about how that project is unfolding based not only on the events of this book but on the events of the previous book. The series, it seems, is interested in the tug and pull between caution and action, between the danger of planning so thoroughly you never move and the danger of moving so quickly you trample on the good.

The book is never overt about those questions. They instead flow naturally from the character, who she believes herself to be, and the doubt about the effectiveness of her efforts. It is handled primarily through small lines and the information about the world, which is doled out in small, excellently written bits. The book wants you to think about these issues, but it doesn’t want you to rush to a conclusion.

Again, I recommend the book even though it is sold as a mystery and the mystery is the least interesting item between its covers. The deft writing, the world building, the characters, and how the world and the characters interact to take their time in asking a philosophical question are all more than worth your time.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/20/2247525/-Slow-Burn-on-Jupiter-A-Short-Review-of-The-Imposition-of-Unnecessary-Obstacles?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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