Aug 10

Aug 10 The Saint of Bright Doors

About the book

Author: Vajra Chandrasekera
Publisher: Tor Books

More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.

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My Review

The Saint of Bright Doors was the last book I needed to read from the 2024 Hugo Award nominees for Best Novel, and I’m a bit bummed to say it was one I respected and appreciated more than I enjoyed. There’s no doubt that Chandrasekera is doing really interesting and even daring things here, but I think I would have gotten more out of it if I’d known more about the history of Buddhism and Sri Lanka, which she’s addressing pretty directly. That is on me and not the book!

Aside from my unfamiliarity with the subject matter that would have made this story super resonant, I had a tough time with the worldbuilding. It’s a sink-or-swim style, where the author writes as if you 100% know what they’re talking about rather than working in helpful explanations. That’s just not my favorite.

Also, the book jacket says this: “The Saint of Bright Doors sets the high drama of divine revolutionaries and transcendent cults against the mundane struggles of modern life. The result is a novel that is revelatory and resonant.” But for me, I actually think this dichotomy made it feel more like a slog. I wanted things to happen, and it felt like it never picked up.

All that said, I’m certainly not the best reviewer for this book — so if it piques your interest, don’t let me stop you from giving it a shot!