May Book Reviews: Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
Reread, book club book. In Floating Hotel, each employee and guest on the luxury spaceliner the Grand Abeona Hotel has their own secrets. As a conference of scientists, an imperial spy, and a treasonous essayist collide onboard, the Abeona may never be the same...
Floating Hotel is very much an all vibes no plot sort of book. The novel follows each employee and guest onboard, one chapter each, almost like a collection of short stories. Although many stories tie back to the inflammatory essayist the Lamplighter, just as many do not. There's a hint of a murder mystery when a body is discovered, but it happens late in the book and has minimal effect on the plot. I particularly liked some of the staff stories, like the jewel thief turned engineer or the downtrodden secretary finding her strength onboard, but I found the overarching plot oddly paced. It dawdles through the first three quarters of the book, and then spends the last bit at a wild sprint that gives minimal closure for the characters Curtis spent all that time getting us attached to.
Fun as a vivid collection of short stories, a bit scattershot as a novel. I enjoyed Curtis' latest release Idolfire more.
