Hi,

Last month I participated in a reading group on LovelyBooks where we read Sylvain Neuvel‘s novel Sleeping Giants.

When Rose, a girl from Deadwood, USA, falls into a pit one evening, she doesn’t realize that this incident is the start of a fascinating discovery she is about to make years later.
Dr Rose Franklin didn’t just fall into a pit, she fell onto a giant hand and where there is a hand, there could be more body parts buried somewhere. But who created that hand and why? Rose only knows that it can’t be man-made.

Dr Rose Franklin is a scientist through and through. She loves her job and finding out about the giant hand is her priority. Nevertheless, she won’t sell her own grandmother to achieve her goals. Rose still has enough conscience to know where to stop and that makes her very likable.
Another important character is the interlocutor. We never really find out who he really is and he doesn’t tell us his name but he tends to evoke all sorts of feelings – positive and negative – through the actions he takes.

As I’ve implied before, the novel consists of written interviews and occasional journal entries. This writing style might not be for everyone, but it does suck you right in and gives you all the details you need. There are, however, instances when characters open up to the interlocutor in a way that isn’t very credible. Would you tell a nameless stranger about your love affairs? The author could have used the journal entries to give us that information.

Sleeping Giants is a science fiction novel that takes on a necessary geopolitical dimension that can get a little tiring in parts. The disturbing plot reminds us that peace often lies in the hands of few people. Sylvain Neuvel’s Sleeping Giants is gripping up until the very last page, and if you don’t mind books ending with a cliffhanger, you’re in for a thought-provoking read.

¹ https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/286671/sleeping-giants/
A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.