You Feel It Just Below the Ribs: A Novel

This book is mesmerizing. The writing is really just ::chef’s kiss::, I fell in love with the prose. That being said, I really would have enjoyed it more if I could have gotten into the world of this book just a little more. This one is a dystopian fiction disguised as a nonfictional manuscript with footnotes and interludes and all. I don’t think it’s a slam dunk. It felt very clunky to me, despite the beautiful prose. There’s a podcast called Within the Wires which takes place in this same universe. I have never listened to this podcast before but I do think that if you have listened and love the world inside it, then this book is for you. I felt like I was missing something the whole time and I went back and saw review of people saying you don’t need to know the podcast first but I disagree. For me, I felt lost and confused and honestly not invested enough to figure it all out. There are a lot of really deep meanings stuck in this book and I think it’s a great one to discuss with people who have already read it. These things kind of bothered me and I would love the chance to talk about this one. I think had this book come out before 2020, it might have been easier to jump into this completely, but some things made me feel like these writer’s just didn’t read the room. Born at the end of the old world, Miriam grows up during The Great Reckoning, a sprawling, decades-long war that nearly decimates humanity and strips her of friends and family. Devastated by grief and loneliness, she emotionally exiles herself, avoiding relationships or allegiances, and throws herself into her work—disengagement that serves her when the war finally ends, and The New Society arises. To ensure a lasting peace, The New Society forbids anything that may cause tribal loyalties, including traditional families. Suddenly, everyone must live as Miriam has chosen to—disconnected and unattached. A researcher at heart, Miriam becomes involved in implementing this detachment process. She does not know it is the beginning of a darkly sinister program that will transform this new world and the lives of everyone in it. Eventually, the harmful effects of her research become too much for Miriam, and she devises a secret plan to destroy the system from within, endangering her own life. But is her “confession” honest—or is it a fabrication riddled with lies meant to conceal the truth?

Imagine an alternate twentieth century. One that's been plagued by a deadly pandemic, a multi-decade-long war, and a ton of social upheaval. Imagine that in the wake of all of this chaos, a unifying global government rises to power. And imagine that you've played a part in the development of one of that government's key policies. That's the world of Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson's "You Feel It Just Below the Ribs". Taking the form of an in-universe memoir, "You Feel It Just Below the Ribs" explores the history of this New Society through the eyes of a scientist who worked for them, Dr. Miriam Gregory. At times, it's a bit meandering. The pacing is all over the place, and there's often a lack of urgency. But at its heart, it's an emotional, thought-provoking reflection on the fragility of memory and the importance of trying to do the right thing. "You Feel It Just Below the Ribs" follows Dr. Gregory's life from childhood through her time working for the New Society. Divided into four parts, each one focuses on various important events in her life - all of which revolve around her use of a therapeutic technique she calls the "Watercolor Quiet". As developed by Dr. Gregory, the Watercolor Quiet helps suppress memories - traumatic or otherwise. And as the story goes on, the technique is used in ways Dr. Gregory could have never predicted. When viewed as a memoir, "You Feel It Just Below the Ribs" actually works very well. The prose is gorgeous, full of the kind of introspection that gives you a perfect window into the mindset of Dr. Gregory. By the end of the book, you genuinely feel bad for her. But it's not just a sympathy piece. There are plenty of times where Dr. Gregory doesn't make herself look that good. Plenty of moments where you get deeply frustrated with some decision she's made. And like the best memoirs, this book doesn't shy away from those darker moments. Those turning points where everything might've changed had Dr. Gregory made a different decision. Those moments where she should've been thinking about the bigger picture more than she was. Honestly, exploring the rise of a dystopian government through the eyes of someone who seems wholly unaware that that's what's happening is quite clever. And as a rumination on the fragility of memory, and the importance of trying to do the right thing, "You Feel It Just Below the Ribs" is a gorgeous, haunting piece. But as a piece of narrative fiction, it doesn't quite stick the landing. Cranor and Matthewson basically speedrun Dr. Gregory's life, rarely spending enough time in any specific moment for us to get properly invested in what's going on. This is most apparent in the first part of the book, which focuses on multiple years' worth of Dr. Gregory's childhood. Even though it rushes through these formative years, it's easily the slowest part of the book. And it's ...

I am not a listener of the companion podcast, so I came to this book with no information or expectation. I found it to be interesting and engaging…I always looked forward to picking it back up to see where the story would lead. There was a moment where I stopped and thumbed through the last few pages remaining and was disappointed that there wouldn’t be more to the story. The last several chapters were very exciting and I was definitely hoping for more in the ending, a hidden flap or something with secret information about the after-events. I might have to tune into the podcast now, I need closure!