Embassytown by China Mieville

I always enjoy China Mieville novels - mainly because they’re weird, very alien, and it’s often difficult to get an immediate handle on what’s actually happening in the book.

Embassytown is confusing from the start. That’s not a bad thing or a criticism. As the reader, you’re plonked into an unusual human settlement on an unusually weird alien world. It would be strange if it wasn’t confusing.

The aliens in question don’t understand language except by living metaphor. Think memes, but you have to actually see and experience Grumpy Cat being grumpy in order to understand or transmit the concept.

The weirdness is good, and it becomes more understandable as the story progresses, until we can actually understand that the book is really about colonialism, self-determination, and exploitation.

It’s a good read.