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melosamatic's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Misogyny and Homophobia
webb_beb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Medical content
Moderate: Homophobia, Murder, and Racism
cams_all_booked's review against another edition
I can handle reading about unlikable characters, sometimes it can be enjoyable. I can also make it through boring sections of certain books to get to the "good stuff." Neither of those was the reason I stopped reading this book. I didn't finish it because I just don't care. I don't care about what might happen later in the book because whatever happens later isn't worth it if I have to sit through what some rich, vapid asshole thinks about whatever the fuck for 100 more pages. If I had to sit through one more disgustingly racist or homophobic remark, I would've broken my mom's kindle.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol
saintstefan's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The plot of this book would have been great if the author went about it differently. Two couples meet up for dinner to talk about their sons. As the dinner begins to end, tensions rise, and the crimes of their son will finally come to light. The book is divided into the past and the present. Usually, I'm a sucker for flashbacks. But the author seriously didn't have to spend 14 chapters on just ONE flashback.
Once again, I got the feeling that nothing was happening. Even though something clearly was happening. The summary of the book made it seem like a really shocking crime but when the crime itself is finally revealed, it was pretty anti-climatic.
However, it's not that bad of a book and if you want something to just read, I would suggest this.
Once again, I got the feeling that nothing was happening. Even though something clearly was happening. The summary of the book made it seem like a really shocking crime but when the crime itself is finally revealed, it was pretty anti-climatic.
However, it's not that bad of a book and if you want something to just read, I would suggest this.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
theskyboi's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
At the outset, the novel is an ambitious one; each section of the book is meant to correspond to one of the courses in a lavish dinner between two couples. However, the story quickly loses its initial vision in favor of relying heavily on flashbacks.
The narrator is one of the least charismatic characters in the novel, which would not be an issue if his story was of any actual consequence. He floats aimlessly from assertion to assertion, dragging the reader along through his purportedly factual account of events throughout his life. All the while, the conversation happening during the actual dinner suffers from lack of care from the author.
The mystery of the book—if it can truly be called that—also gets sidelined by the narrator's incessant need to insert himself into every potential scenario, except for one that captivates the reader. Although it can be argued that the protagonist is so stubbornly opinionated in order to mock this myopic behavior in the real world, the author does not ever set up a situation that truly admonishes him for being so problematic.
Do not read this book if moments of graphic violence or racial prejudice are not something you tolerate in your reading. On the whole, the most interesting characters of the book are the wives of the men at the dinner, but their perspectives are limited to what their husbands think of them. Perhaps it was possible to find some enjoyment, but it was in spite of what the author penned.
The narrator is one of the least charismatic characters in the novel, which would not be an issue if his story was of any actual consequence. He floats aimlessly from assertion to assertion, dragging the reader along through his purportedly factual account of events throughout his life. All the while, the conversation happening during the actual dinner suffers from lack of care from the author.
The mystery of the book—if it can truly be called that—also gets sidelined by the narrator's incessant need to insert himself into every potential scenario, except for one that captivates the reader. Although it can be argued that the protagonist is so stubbornly opinionated in order to mock this myopic behavior in the real world, the author does not ever set up a situation that truly admonishes him for being so problematic.
Do not read this book if moments of graphic violence or racial prejudice are not something you tolerate in your reading. On the whole, the most interesting characters of the book are the wives of the men at the dinner, but their perspectives are limited to what their husbands think of them. Perhaps it was possible to find some enjoyment, but it was in spite of what the author penned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Miscarriage, and Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia, Chronic illness, and Drug use
The book depicts various violent and bigoted acts and views throughout its pages, and its narrator expresses no remorse for his neutral and sometimes approving stance on them.
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