A ghostwriter returns to her Florida hometown during a pandemic, uncovering family secrets and a mysterious virtual reality device that leads to disappearances and a surreal exploration of storytelling, trauma, and the blurred lines between reality and fiction. The novel delves into themes of addiction, grief, climate change, and the elusive nature of storytelling in a post-pandemic world, offering a mind-bending and thought-provoking journey through a twisted and uncanny Florida landscape.

Reader Review Summary

Here is an extensive, thorough review of the book "State of Paradise" by Laura van den Berg, focusing on the positive aspects:

Laura van den Berg has created a beguiling literary gem with her latest novel "State of Paradise." Set in a surreal, almost dystopian vision of Florida in the aftermath of an enigmatic pandemic, this genre-blending work deftly combines elements of literary fiction, science fiction, mystery, and horror into an utterly absorbing reading experience.

One of the book's greatest strengths is van den Berg's mesmerizing prose. Her writing is both hauntingly poetic and startlingly visceral, conjuring up the oppressive Florida heat and humidity so vividly that you can almost feel it seeping from the pages. The evocative descriptions of the state's unique atmosphere and ominous undercurrents make the setting itself feel like a character, full of menacing potential.

The novel's exploration of storytelling and the elusive nature of reality is both intellectually stimulating and deeply resonant. As the ghostwriter protagonist navigates a landscape where the boundaries between the virtual and the actual grow increasingly blurred, van den Berg poses profound existential questions about the malleability of truth and the stories we tell ourselves. This metafictional thread, interwoven with poignant examinations of trauma, grief, and human frailty, gives the narrative a profound emotional depth.

While the story builds a sense of steadily mounting dread through its first half, establishing an unsettling tone and raising tantalizing mysteries, it crescendos into sheer audacious brilliance in its final chapters. Van den Berg's imagination runs riotously unchecked as the novel spirals into realms of unrestrained weirdness involving parallel dimensions, shifting identities, and bewildering plot twists. Yet even at its most deliriously experimental, the narrative remains grounded by the author's impeccable control of language and pacing.

The characterization is equally masterful, with the protagonist's voice achieving a perfect balance of wry detachment and raw vulnerability that makes her struggles feel authentically human. Her complicated relationships with her dysfunctional family members are rendered with nuanced sensitivity. Van den Berg excels at capturing the way unresolved emotional wounds from the past can warp perceptions of the present.

In the end, "State of Paradise" stands as a remarkable artistic achievement - a dizzying, hallucinatory vision that mashes up speculative fiction concepts with an extraordinarily perceptive examination of personal and societal ills. With her singularly assured literary skills and boundless imaginative daring, Laura van den Berg has crafted a true tour de force. This unconventional novel will linger in readers' minds long after the final page, much like the lingering humidity of the haunted Florida landscape it so vividly evokes.