A review by minimicropup
Metropolis by B.A. Shapiro

Did not finish book. Stopped at 62%.
Had promise, but DNF due to story-telling/writing.

Spent too long spinning wheels (frustrating):
  • Annoyed by the vapid, powerfully powerless "staying in extremely abusive relationship for the children" MC and "enabling my alcoholic PTSD husband for the children" MC
  • Bored by the "empathetic genius with a supportive family" MC and "reformed criminal property owner trying to make a clean break" MC
  • Anxiety overload from the "homeless due to mental illness(?)" MC and "refugee student abused by the system/racism/red tape "justice" MC

Too long-winded (repetitive): 👎 Take all three points above and repeat them over and over and over in slightly different settings. The author hits you over the head with the MC situations and reasoning.

It's possible that my annoyances will be resolved at the end of the book, and MCs get better endings (or realistic consequences if they are bad people or national threats), but at this point the jarring removals > immersive connection: 👎
In the middle of an intense, invested scene we suddenly get a lot of detail about very specific regions and histories in Boston and Cambridge. I love scene setting in stories, especially if realistic. I started out thrilled the Metropolis Storage Warehouse actually exists (just let Google autocorrect the name) and is really closing down as of 2023, and that this story is an alternate universe telling of why. But I quickly tired of lines that involved spending more time on Google Earth and Apple Maps than with the story. The details about streets, stores, buildings, and history may be relevant (even nostalgic) for a Bostonian, but for me it was so overly extensive in detail (to the point of irrelevance) that it felt more like a study guide for an exam than a way to tell a story.

Based on how far I read, here are the commentary and content heads-up topics:
-immigration law injustice
-systemic racism
-poverty and classism
-homophobia
-trauma bonding from narcissistic abuse
-mental illness
-homelessness
-mistreatment of Veterans
-PTSD and addiction
-1%/capitalism entitlement and abuse of power
-stealing artistic IP
-gentrification
-physically and emotionally abusive relationships (males toward females)

Format: Library Digital via Libby