#RRSciFiMonth Book Review: Occupy Me by Tricia Sullivan
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Titan (September 4, 2018)
Length: 288 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Occupy Me was probably one of the chanciest books I have ever attempted to read, knowing full well from the blurb and countless reviews how strange and bizarre it would be. I’ve made it no secret that I don’t always do well with “weird” books. But still, I decided to give it a try because I was in the mood for something a little outside of the box, and I was also curious to see what the science fiction literary awards circuit had been raving about.
And wow, what a trip this was. I’m not even sure how to describe the story, so I’m going to let the publisher description do most of the talking: “A woman with wings that exist in another dimension. A man trapped in his own body by a killer. A briefcase that is a door to hell. A conspiracy that reaches beyond our world.” Pearl is the woman with wings in question, an “angel” who works for a nebulous organization known as the Resistance. Posing undercover as a flight attendant, improving the world a little bit at a time with small incremental acts of kindness, she secretly hides an uncanny past and is determined to track down a killer responsible for pulling her out of her dimension and trapping her here on this earthly realm.
However, the killer is actually her prey wearing another man’s body. Dr. Sorle is not Dr. Sorle, for he has someone else living inside him. He is also in possession of an ordinary looking briefcase that is in fact an interdimensional gateway defying all the rules of time and space—an item which Pearl is in desperate need to get a hold of, for only then will she be able to unlock the mystery of herself and find her way home. But the briefcase isn’t going to yield its secrets freely, nor is Sorle willing to relinquish it that easily. Released from the Resistance, Pearl is forced to embark on her quest alone, chasing down this unpredictable madman and his freaky briefcase that can open into any number of dimensions, allowing all kinds of creatures to escape.
Obviously, if you’re looking for a coherent and straightforward story, you’re not really going to get that here. Occupy Me is mind-bendingly weird, there’s no doubt about that. Thing is, it’s not exactly weird in the “I’ve eaten a bunch of mushrooms and I’m all tripped out” kind of sense. I would say it’s more weird in the way that a lot of people find anime “weird”. The book is certainly contained in its own eccentric, quirky little world, and like all unfamiliar and odd things, it takes getting used to. The plot itself is actually quite easy to follow, and I enjoyed it immensely once I fell into the rhythm of not expecting anything to conform to reality. For me, I think that happened around the time a fucking pterosaur flew out of the briefcase.
Still, I’m not going to lie and say it was smooth sailing from there. I struggled plenty to wrap my head around a lot of the ideas and crazy concepts to spring forth from the hyper-imaginative mind of Tricia Sullivan, but I will say, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. While everything about the book was unusual, I also thought it was highly entertaining and even humorous in many places. Pearl is a hoot to follow with her unique personality and background, not to mention her forthright way with words. Never knowing what to expect around the next corner meant at no time did I find myself caught in a dull moment, and I always felt on guard trying to prepare myself for whatever strange surprise might pop up next.
Needless to say, it’s very difficult to recommend books like Occupy Me. Because they are so different and unusual, they may only appeal to a thin slice of the speculative fiction audience. All the same though, I feel that they also demand a certain level of admiration, if nothing else for being so boldly imaginative and fearless in defying genre expectations and convention. This novel is most certainly not for everyone, but if you’re looking to shake up your reading with something outside your comfort zone—something that might twist your mind and kick your imagination into high gear—then it might be worth a look.
The BiblioSanctum 
A fabulous review about a much-loved book and a great author. I love Tricia Sullivan’s writing and that quirkiness is something I very much admire. I always feel safe in her hands – because once I’ve locked into her world, I find that very little jars or makes me feel that it doesn’t make sense. I’m delighted you loved this one, too:)
LikeLike
She does write very well. Her characters are so snappy and easy to follow. I don’t think I could have gotten on board with the downright bizarro story otherwise! Now I’m curious about her other work!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes – all her work is like that, and yet I’ve never had a problem suspending my belief and joining her in those amazing flights of imagination she has… I think she’s an extraordinary talent.
LikeLike
I like odd so I’m thinking that maybe I’ll give this one a chance. Glad you were able to enjoy it!
LikeLike
If you like odd, then you definitely need to try this!
LikeLike
I’d probably love this, I’m not even sure how it didn’t get on my radar at some point!
LikeLike
It came out in the UK and was nominated for a couple big awards, but strangely, the US release was much more lowkey.
LikeLike
“if you’re looking for a coherent and straightforward story, you’re not really going to get that here” – this made me laugh, definitely sound like it can be fascinating, but totally see how it could be hard to follow
LikeLike
Haha, yes, when the pterosaur flew out of the briefcase, I was like, oh dear, what have I gotten myself into? 🙂
LikeLike
“And wow, what a trip this was”, I guess the hype has been worth it! Will make a note of this as I could do with a temp change of genre soon. Quite like the cover of this one too, simple yet effective.x
LikeLike
Yeah, it was a total trip! One of those “What the hell did I just read” kind of books 😛
LikeLike
I’m finding myself enjoying weird more and more these days. Will add this one to my list!
LikeLike
Awesome stuff! I’m still wary when it comes to weird, but I do find myself braving it more 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reading your review I kept thinking about that famous sentence from Captain Janeway, when she said that temporal paradoxes gave her headaches: this book sounds like the headache-provoking kind, but also one that presents a challenge, and that is, I believe, its main attraction…
Thank you so much for sharing this! 🙂
LikeLike
Yeah, this book could totally be one of the more “out there” Voyager plots, lol!
LikeLike
This is one is extremely weird for sure. As you mentionned, the plot isn’t that complicated but everything is just so odd that you just have to completely suspend your disbelief to enjoy the ride. I did but I have to say that I don’t remember much about the book. It was a fun, batshit crazy ride but not very memorable to me. I’ll probably read something else by Sullivan just to see what else she has in her bag! 😉 Great reveiw, you managed to explain the plot in a much more coherent way than me haha.
LikeLike
That’s the downside with books that are too “weird”, in my opinion. When everything is so batshit crazy, I find it hard for my mind to process it – and so it doesn’t stay with me as long 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Same, as much as I enjoyed this book, it’s now almost completely gone from my memories… 😦
LikeLike
This book sounds weird and interesting. Definitely adding to my TBR. I usually don’t like weird books but I am always on the lookout for different and unique plots, which looks like this one has. Great review.
LikeLike
If you want to read something out of your comfort zone, this would be a good one 🙂
LikeLike
I thought this sounded quite interesting but I don’t get on well with weird so I better give it a miss!
LikeLike
It’s definitely not for everyone! But I’m glad I tried 🙂
LikeLike
Weird can be tricky, I know u thought my weird book was weird last, but it honestly was not weird. This is weirder
LikeLike
This was just downright bizarre!
LikeLike
Someone living inside of him? Eeeeekk! Wonderful review.
LikeLike
Yeah, not unlike possession…but much weirder!
LikeLike
I like weird so this would probably work for me and funnily enough I think I might already have a copy.
Or maybe it’s just on the wishlist.
Lynn 😀
LikeLike
You might, I know the UK got this one way before us 😀
LikeLike
Pingback: Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads | The BiblioSanctum
Pingback: Mission Status Update: reach for the stars – x+1