Reviewed by Frances Bigger.
I do love a story within a story, and Robin Morgan’s Parallax is just that, a group of stories within a story in a world where stories are relics no one is looking for. The Yarner tells The Stranger story after story, tales from a world that is both nothing like ours and all too similar, somehow set in both the future and the past. The Yarner warns The Stranger that ‘The yarns I have keep patterns… don’t think I have time to point out these patterns as I go.’ As a reader, you should head The Yarner’s warning.
I will admit that I did at times have trouble distinguishing the patterns interwoven throughout these stories. However, Morgan should be commended on the complex ways the patterns are interwoven and the beautiful, vivid language she uses to create them. These stories are all about the importance and power of words, and Morgan picks just the right ones throughout. They are both predictions and fables, some the reader will immediately understand as warnings. The timeless nature allows them to connect to a myriad of situations, which is what I think makes it such an impactful story. Not sure I completely understood in the first time, I was compelled to reread it as soon as possible, to try and connect all the dots and fully understand The Yarner. However, I don’t think you have to fully connect everything to connect deeply with ‘Parallax’. Especially if like me, you are a lover of words and stories. This is one of those books I will be thinking about for much longer than it took me to read it.