There are several stories in this book, told in a beautifully complex way, and the reader needs to trust that the author will tie everything together. And he does. There’s the hermit living up a mountain away from the coup that is happening in the rest of the country. There’s a mysterious creature, the Rain Heron. There’s a child being raised in a coastal town with an industry around squid ink. There are soldiers on orders who will do horrible things to get what they need.
I loved this. It’s strange and weird, heavily based in magical realism, and I just loved reading it.