We follow three different timelines in the life of the main character. Her life is divided into several distinct periods, and fittingly, she even goes by a different name in each of them. This is not unlike the feeling many of us have looking back on various phases in our lives: we are not the same when we were children, young adults and so on. Granted, Essun has had much more heartbreak and loss in her life than an average person. To begin with, she is an orogene, or a person who is able to create, manipulate and quiet seismic events.
In addition to orogenes, this world is populated with stills, humans who do not possess the skill of orogeny, and stone eaters, a mysterious humanoid species of whom little is known. The continent where the book is set is misleadingly called Stillness. It is in reality nothing but still. Life on the continent is regularly interrupted by powerful seismic events, each of which is followed by a Fifth season, a period of winter, hunger and desolation brought on by a large-scale earthquake. The population lives in constant anticipation of the next big shake, and their lore has specific rules and instructions that are to be followed during a Fifth Season.
As you can guess from the title, Stillness is entering its Fifth season, and the book describes the events leading up to it and immediately following its beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is exceptional, the plot is intricate and from what I hear, the sequel is even better. 5 out of 5 stars.
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