Review: The Office of Mercy

The Office of Mercy by Ariel Djanikian

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I feel like I've written more negatively about the books that I've read this year than I have in the past. While I know this isn't entirely true, I also know that I tend to be more critical of books outside of my usual reading sphere, a sphere I've worked hard this year to expand. This coupled with the fact that I enjoy discussing books more critically than other mediums; I read not just for enjoyment but to learn about the world and the craft of writing itself. As such I tend to gloss over the things I like- the cool dystopian setting, the interesting moral implications, the unusual typography or formatting- and focus more on the elements that detract from these. I focus on the mistakes I as a writer don't want to make, trying to understand and figure out how and why these elements don't work.

My original review for The Office of Mercy by Ariel Djanikian followed along with this norm, emphasizing the elements of the novel that bothered me and skipped over the elements I enjoyed quite a lot. As such, I would like to preface that review by including the following. The moral code established by Djanikain in this book was fascinating. I love the intricacies, the interplay between a character's thoughts and their reality, the way it highlights how subtle shifts in perspective can drastically change the meanings of words such as mercy and peace. The world Natasha, the main character, lives in is bland and uniform; in a way her lifestyle matches the plain and austere nature of the code, yet at the same time there's a real sense of history and meaning there, a technicolor whirlwind the book only begins to explore.

This book* has a lot of potential, the premise is interesting and the plot is compelling, but the execution is subpar. For me, the biggest issue was the transition between internal dialogue and external actions or dialogue. Djanikian does both well in sections of the book where each stands alone, but when switching between the two, particularly in scenes were a lot was going on, the writing becomes inconsistent and jarring, a list of actions or emotions, instead of a well narrated story. Alone, perhaps this wouldn't be so much of an issue, but with a lot of the world building and most of the action occurring in the back half of the book it detracts from the reading experience.

This, coupled with my annoyance with Natasha's ethical back and forth, left me feeling as if the novel would have been better off as an action/adventure tale, something with a flashy setting and interesting moral premise but without much character development. Unfortunately this is a sad thought given the promise the book has had it been structured somewhat differently.



** This books was given to me as part of the GoodRead's First Reads program. This in no way influenced my review.