Scan barcode
bella_cavicchi's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Gosh, I love a thriller -- and bonus points to this one for the meta factor. None of it was particularly surprising, but Korelitz's writing is so captivating that I didn't really care. And for those that have read it too, the ending had me think of "Only Murders in the Building" !
Graphic: Pregnancy, Stalking, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Child death, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Abortion
cursedepub's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The blurb on the front of the book said "insanely readable," and that it was. I finished the book in two very fast sittings. Perhaps not the most complex or convoluted thriller - for me at least, the twist and culprit was very easy to figure out, in a way I am almost sure is by design. There was enough doubt to keep me wondering how everything fit together, but not enough to make me feel like I had the wrong suspect. I spent a lot of the novel amusedly watching our protagonist Jake kind of walk into his own doom, which is a testament to just how readable this was.
I would say the great strength of this book is really the prose itself: expressive but not too heavy, and very smooth. Every part of the book (including the novel Crib, and also Jake's somewhat self-important writer's introspection) was a delight to read, just for how well it was delivered.
On the whole this book was definitely fun, and very skillfully written, but not mind-blowing.
I would say the great strength of this book is really the prose itself: expressive but not too heavy, and very smooth. Every part of the book (including the novel Crib, and also Jake's somewhat self-important writer's introspection) was a delight to read, just for how well it was delivered.
On the whole this book was definitely fun, and very skillfully written, but not mind-blowing.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, and Drug use
More...