For the last few weeks, the writing of Jeff Van Der Meer, and their mysterious Area X has dominated my thought, and my reading, and even my movie watching. It all began with Annihilation (the book!) which probably enters into my Top 2 for books I've read this year, in terms of how much I've enjoyed it. Then, I watched Annihilation - which expanded on the explorations of the world Van Der Meer built in his novel.
Then, I was slightly disappointed by the continuation of the first novel, Authority - which at best, was procedural administrative fiction, but with some powerful, recurring images linking back to Area X, and ending in something that ultimately, while slow, expanded the world.
Then we come to the place that I am up to. Acceptance - the third book in the Southern Reach series. There's one more for me to get through after this one. But before I approach that border it is time, to well, accept, Acceptance for what it is.
In a single sentence, Acceptance reads as a collection of narratives, of stories told around a campfire by the people impacted by Area X's mysterious going-ons, through exploration, retrospect, conversation and dialogue, and what feels like a whole bunch of short stories and exposition between changing view points - and changing perspectives.
Most of the book is in the third person, but there are chapters that are written in the second person, and they're incredibly immersive and interesting. When Van Der Meer isn't hallucinating as though they're witnessing some terrific trauma unfold in the world (with some incredible, vivid depictions of completely unbelievable events) serves to drill down the bizarre and undefined nature of Area X. A mystery that continues to grow with each page, and each story.
As each new understanding is exposed, the mystery seems to grow more complex and more entwined, but none of it is as poignant or beautiful as the first book in the series.
As such, the places (in particular the Lighthouse, the Tower, and Area X itself) gets more defined, illustrated with more detail, but the first person perspective of the first book, and the detailed exploration and introspection that allowed is never really achieved in the same level of depth.
There are some incredible, powerful metaphors in the book, and a good few experiences that feel like parable and myth - it takes a long time for the disparate elements to coalesce.
I am looking forward to the final book that has been published in the Southern Reach trilogy, but I am also looking forward to hopefully getting some sort of closure on the most interesting part of the world in this series, hungry for a clearer definition of what on Earth Area X is, what it is doing, how it is doing it, and why it is doing it. This book contains some clues and visions toward that, but I do want more, but I also do want it to be ... over.