Read for book club. I enjoyed the read but felt the ending rushed through the plot in the last 20 pages and ended a bit abruptly. 2.5 to 3 stars.

Then we had the discussion. I hadn't considered several "what if this" possibilities that turned the whole story on its head. We also examined how the discussions and slow exploration of humanity and Western culture is a common scifi theme, and excellently done here. This book had layers that I had swept right over in my reading, that the discussion brought to light and improved my opinion of the book up to 4 stars. Not a "one of the 20 best postwar American novels", as the British Book Council said, but definitely a good one to read and reflect on. It also has several parallels to "The Shape of Water".