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booksandlifewithandrea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leviathandreamer's review
2.0
This might just be one of the most confusing books I've ever read. I can't decide whether I found this terrible with occasional flashes of exceptionally good writing, or if it was pretty decent with the occasional add-on of utter bullshit (seems like the writer's muse was an absolute sadist and a strong advocate of the carrot and the stick method).
This book is apparently inspired by a real case concerning a rather well-known character, an urban legend of a sort. You'd be able to guess the inspiration even if you didn't know, because the title references it in a way, and I bet the author thought he was being really smart and punny. I guess we're lucky the book's title isn't ''The Tenderman''. Also, I cannot possibly be the only one to think both are terrible names for a villain. It just really rubs me the wrong way. Anyway, moving on.
The main character, Alice, is a survivor of a horrendous attack committed by her childhood friends in the name of Mister Tender, a (not-so-much) fictional character who'll make your wish come true if you're willing to sacrifice something. Alice is a mess, she's paranoid, unable to cope with her past, suffers from frequent panic attacks and doesn't trust anyone. She was also addicted to heroin for a while (which she mentions so casually you'd get the feeling that everyone who's read We Children from Bahnhof ZOO has tried heroin at least once in their lifetime) and her father was killed by an islamic extremist (not so common, but convenient and topical). And of course, every guy she meets wants her.
Although she sounds like (and she pretty much is) a rather stereotypical character from a thriller, she just might be the best character in the story - although I didn't like her per se, she wasn't mind-numbingly stupid and was neither the typical damsel in distress, nor the annoying empowered and untouchable wonderwoman. If anything, she felt real. The fact that it's told from a first person perspective definitely helps.
The other characters are much more problematic - or rather, the way they're written is.
Alice's mother is fat. That's what defines her, according to Alice anyway. I shit you not. When asked how's her mother doing, Alice straight-up answers: ''She's fat. She's so fat, Charles.'' When having one of the few happy dreams about her childhood, Alice comments that her mother wasn't fat back then. This was probably the most hilarious thing in the book, as it's so random. I won't get into speculating whether the author has an agenda against fat people or it's just a character tick (it might as well be), but it was such a WTF moment.
The mother also talks mostly in phrases, such as: ''We're all damaged, Alice. Just in different ways.'' or ''He's just a boy. Just a helpless, innocent boy. He can't survive without me. Like a cub alone in the woods.'' I don't get it. The rest of the characters speak (more or less) like normal people, but her mother's manner of speech resembles some deluded old widow from a Victorian novel. Granted, I'd probably dig it in said novel, but here it seemed so out of place it really bugged me.
Her brother is mentally ill (the official diagnosis being bipolar schizoaffective disorder... I think). He's also the only one (apart from the bad guys) who kills a man.
I have a problem with that. I'm not the type to get easily offended by things and applaud politically correct books, God forbid. There's nothing more important and cathartic than a good deal of insanity, filth, evil and violence in art, if executed correctly. But I hate it when it's used as the easiest, cheapest way to move on with the plot. Alice's brother basically didn't take his meds, killed a dude in cold blood, then slept it off and didn't remember anything the next day. That's not how mental disorder works. It promotes harmful stereotypes and it's the most half-assed way to avoid dealing with character psychology after committing such crime. It was completely unnecessary and lazy.
There are more examples of this in this book, but I get bored of ranting pretty quickly, so let's wrap this up.
While this book is full of the most blatant and annoyingly overused stereotypes (not only character-wise), the story actually isn't that bad and there were scenes which were genuinely enjoyable and well written. It also has a very decent build-up and, most importantly, ending.
So that's why I'm confused. Did this suck very much or just a little? Did I enjoy it or did it just piss me off and the only thing I truly enjoyed was writing this ranty joke of a review? We might never know.
This book is apparently inspired by a real case concerning a rather well-known character, an urban legend of a sort. You'd be able to guess the inspiration even if you didn't know, because the title references it in a way, and I bet the author thought he was being really smart and punny. I guess we're lucky the book's title isn't ''The Tenderman''. Also, I cannot possibly be the only one to think both are terrible names for a villain. It just really rubs me the wrong way. Anyway, moving on.
The main character, Alice, is a survivor of a horrendous attack committed by her childhood friends in the name of Mister Tender, a (not-so-much) fictional character who'll make your wish come true if you're willing to sacrifice something. Alice is a mess, she's paranoid, unable to cope with her past, suffers from frequent panic attacks and doesn't trust anyone. She was also addicted to heroin for a while (which she mentions so casually you'd get the feeling that everyone who's read We Children from Bahnhof ZOO has tried heroin at least once in their lifetime) and her father was killed by an islamic extremist (not so common, but convenient and topical). And of course, every guy she meets wants her.
Although she sounds like (and she pretty much is) a rather stereotypical character from a thriller, she just might be the best character in the story - although I didn't like her per se, she wasn't mind-numbingly stupid and was neither the typical damsel in distress, nor the annoying empowered and untouchable wonderwoman. If anything, she felt real. The fact that it's told from a first person perspective definitely helps.
The other characters are much more problematic - or rather, the way they're written is.
Alice's mother is fat. That's what defines her, according to Alice anyway. I shit you not. When asked how's her mother doing, Alice straight-up answers: ''She's fat. She's so fat, Charles.'' When having one of the few happy dreams about her childhood, Alice comments that her mother wasn't fat back then. This was probably the most hilarious thing in the book, as it's so random. I won't get into speculating whether the author has an agenda against fat people or it's just a character tick (it might as well be), but it was such a WTF moment.
The mother also talks mostly in phrases, such as: ''We're all damaged, Alice. Just in different ways.'' or ''He's just a boy. Just a helpless, innocent boy. He can't survive without me. Like a cub alone in the woods.'' I don't get it. The rest of the characters speak (more or less) like normal people, but her mother's manner of speech resembles some deluded old widow from a Victorian novel. Granted, I'd probably dig it in said novel, but here it seemed so out of place it really bugged me.
Her brother is mentally ill (the official diagnosis being bipolar schizoaffective disorder... I think). He's also the only one (apart from the bad guys) who kills a man.
I have a problem with that. I'm not the type to get easily offended by things and applaud politically correct books, God forbid. There's nothing more important and cathartic than a good deal of insanity, filth, evil and violence in art, if executed correctly. But I hate it when it's used as the easiest, cheapest way to move on with the plot. Alice's brother basically didn't take his meds, killed a dude in cold blood, then slept it off and didn't remember anything the next day. That's not how mental disorder works. It promotes harmful stereotypes and it's the most half-assed way to avoid dealing with character psychology after committing such crime. It was completely unnecessary and lazy.
There are more examples of this in this book, but I get bored of ranting pretty quickly, so let's wrap this up.
While this book is full of the most blatant and annoyingly overused stereotypes (not only character-wise), the story actually isn't that bad and there were scenes which were genuinely enjoyable and well written. It also has a very decent build-up and, most importantly, ending.
So that's why I'm confused. Did this suck very much or just a little? Did I enjoy it or did it just piss me off and the only thing I truly enjoyed was writing this ranty joke of a review? We might never know.
lullabaloo's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
wolfshine's review
5.0
How far would you go to gain the thing you want the most in the world?
Alice Gray, formerly Alice Hill, knows the answer to that better than anyone. The idea is connected to her father’s graphic novels and one character in particular—Mister Tender. Alice hates the comic for all that it brought her. At age 14, her friends, convinced Mister Tender was real, tried to kill her. Because of that, Alice grows up trapped inside her mind. When references to Mister Tender begin to appear fourteen years later, she realizes that her past is catching up to her. Just because she ran away from it all, doesn’t mean she could hide.
This book was one of the best psychological reads I’ve encountered in a long time. Usually, I can guess who the bad guy is halfway through a book but this one totally took me by surprise. There were so many elements of different mental health issues that were touched upon in this book that made it all the more real, especially in Alice. The author gives the readers a very realistic look into how a survivor of violent crime thinks and feels. It’s because of this depth that the story really pulls the reader in.
Alice Gray, formerly Alice Hill, knows the answer to that better than anyone. The idea is connected to her father’s graphic novels and one character in particular—Mister Tender. Alice hates the comic for all that it brought her. At age 14, her friends, convinced Mister Tender was real, tried to kill her. Because of that, Alice grows up trapped inside her mind. When references to Mister Tender begin to appear fourteen years later, she realizes that her past is catching up to her. Just because she ran away from it all, doesn’t mean she could hide.
This book was one of the best psychological reads I’ve encountered in a long time. Usually, I can guess who the bad guy is halfway through a book but this one totally took me by surprise. There were so many elements of different mental health issues that were touched upon in this book that made it all the more real, especially in Alice. The author gives the readers a very realistic look into how a survivor of violent crime thinks and feels. It’s because of this depth that the story really pulls the reader in.
knifed's review
2.0
a tightly wound thriller inspired by the slenderman crimes. good unravelling and strong control of the various elements, but the ending was weak.
usbsticky's review
2.0
2 stars = it was ok by GR's rating system. This is a neutral rating from me.
Very slow. The book is fairly easy to read but low key, I wouldn't call this a "thriller" by any means. Anyway, it had a slow start, then it started to get interesting when Starks showed up. I got very interested at that point. Then BAM!, part 2, the continuity is broken and I have to start from scratch again, very slow. The point is, once I get vested into the story, don't make it stop and start on something else. Build on it once you get going.
I got this book as a free ARC.
Very slow. The book is fairly easy to read but low key, I wouldn't call this a "thriller" by any means. Anyway, it had a slow start, then it started to get interesting when Starks showed up. I got very interested at that point. Then BAM!, part 2, the continuity is broken and I have to start from scratch again, very slow. The point is, once I get vested into the story, don't make it stop and start on something else. Build on it once you get going.
I got this book as a free ARC.
angnay01's review
4.0
This is one of those book that I just want to continue reading in one sitting. If I only had the time! Alice was attacked at the age of 14 by her two "friends" because they wanted to be rewarded by Mister Tender. I fictional character in a book created by none other than Alice's father. It is a nightmare for her and her family. He haunts her in her nightmares. She is paranoid daily and experiences anxiety attacks often. A decade later Mister Tender is back to haunt her yet again. It starts with a mysterious envelope address to her. Who is this "Mr. Interested" that has brought this back into her life? A stalker that knows everything about her life. If you like a good psychological thriller, you will enjoy this book. I received an advance copy of this book from Bookishfirst for my honest opinion.
raforall's review
Review coming in the February 2018 issue of IndiePicks Magazine and on the blog