The other-world section of the novel mostly plays out as a noirish mystery story with a side of (interestingly handled, surprisingly queer) multi-pronged interpersonal relationship drama.
*Unlike* THE WIZARD OF OZ.well, I like to avoid major plot spoilers in these things, but I will say PSEUDOTOOTH deftly side-steps and/or criticizes several common portal fantasy plot points. Like the beginning of THE WIZARD OF OZ, the first third of PSEUDOTOOTH provides a thorough introduction to Aisling's character and to the real world roots of the book's overarching themes. But slow-burn, mildly surreal Gothic horror is great! I really enjoyed this part of the book, and I enjoyed it just as much when it switched into "magically transported to another world" mode. Until then, the story is more slow-burn, mildly surreal Gothic horror than anything, as Aisling suffers frequent seizures and hallucinations while locked away in her tyrannical great-aunt's house, finds bizarre notes left behind by a previous unwell tenant, and writes unsettling scraps of apparent fiction about Feodor, a pyromaniac teenage boy sex worker in early 1990s East London. For one thing, it takes its sweet time building up to the "portal" part of "portal fantasy": protagonist Aisling only finds herself in the other world a solid third of the way into the book. PSEUDOTOOTH makes some unconventional narrative and pacing choices that I expect will aggravate some readers, but that, to me, only added to its charm and appeal. This is a smart novel that wears its intelligence and depth lightly. Loved this genre-smashing dark portal fantasy about.uh, eugenics, abuse, and the social construction of disability? Yes, but it's significantly more fun than that makes it sound, with otherworldly whimsy that feels somewhere between Mervyn Peake, D Loved this genre-smashing dark portal fantasy about.uh, eugenics, abuse, and the social construction of disability? Yes, but it's significantly more fun than that makes it sound, with otherworldly whimsy that feels somewhere between Mervyn Peake, Diana Wynne Jones, and Jeff Vandermeer back when he was writing the Ambergris books. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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