A Desolate Splendor

Following his debut novel, Cipher, Jantunen ambitiously tells the tale of a future in which only the last vestiges of humankind remain, but the book falls short of its aspirations. The reason for the devastation of the world is briefly alluded to but never clearly revealed, leaving readers with the eerie question about who or what is to blame. On the surface, the small groups of survivors may not seem so different from the kinds of people readers might recognize in their own society, but depravities that have taken hold in the wake of destruction are slowly revealed. Narration, heavy with dialects, switches among characters. A boy, who survives on a farm with his mother and father, forms an unusually strong bond with his dog. One of the nomadic goods collectors yearns for a young girl; two brothers leave their home, falsely assuring their father they are going on a mission of peace, not war; and several starving women are intent on protecting their children and their sisters, no matter the cost. The plot entwines the characters’ lives together, but the story doesn’t progress quickly enough, nor are individual characters developed sufficiently for readers to become emotionally involved in their fates. (Oct.)

This review has been corrected to more accurately reflect the plot of the book.