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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
True Crime is NOT for the faint of heart, I’ll begin with that much because I’m not sure how I’m going to review this. There are so many potential triggers, but I always enjoy that in a book. An opportunity to face a taboo head on from the safe distance provided by paper.
.
The main characters in this story have lived a life that well and truly lends itself to their disposition. The story calls you to question even the most basic of morals as the sibling embark upon a journey of self discovery. It is a perfect example of life’s many imperfections and how the accumulation of such affects the human mind. It is, quite plainly, abhorrent for the most part - both visually and mentally graphic, it is an assault on all reason and sensibility.
.
It is written exceptionally well, swallowing you whole before spitting you out, awash with its horrors. And whilst it is difficult to read, you still recognise that what you have is a book that is incredibly unique for its honesty and harsh reality. The unbarred brutality reminds me of something Cormac McCarthy might write, whilst the style is reminiscent of the kind of horror that resonates poetry in its many quotable ruminations. The balance is as brilliant as it is important, and doesn’t detract from the powerful punch this novella packs. Read with caution!
.
The main characters in this story have lived a life that well and truly lends itself to their disposition. The story calls you to question even the most basic of morals as the sibling embark upon a journey of self discovery. It is a perfect example of life’s many imperfections and how the accumulation of such affects the human mind. It is, quite plainly, abhorrent for the most part - both visually and mentally graphic, it is an assault on all reason and sensibility.
.
It is written exceptionally well, swallowing you whole before spitting you out, awash with its horrors. And whilst it is difficult to read, you still recognise that what you have is a book that is incredibly unique for its honesty and harsh reality. The unbarred brutality reminds me of something Cormac McCarthy might write, whilst the style is reminiscent of the kind of horror that resonates poetry in its many quotable ruminations. The balance is as brilliant as it is important, and doesn’t detract from the powerful punch this novella packs. Read with caution!
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
How do you review a book like this? It was compelling to read, but a horrible, gruesome subject. I was horrified and enthralled. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time to come.
This was really a case of "it's not you, it's me." I liked this book, but I didn't love it the way most people I've spoken to have. I think this book may be the one that seals it for me: if the fantastic, brutal writing here can't bring me around on really enjoying serial killer horror, nothing can.
Kolesnik's writing is deft and I found myself having to take breaks between chapters because I needed a breather from the horrors depicted. Especially in the first half of the book, the brutality the author manages to get onto the page in such a cold, detached way is extremely unsettling. This book definitely had me squirming at the actions committed by and against Suzy. However, the story lost me a little in the back half. The time jump was a bit jarring, and I found there wasn't much for me to connect with. Again the writing is fantastic and I cannot fault the author at all there; it's clear that the reader is meant to be held at arm's length from Suzy, the same way she holds the rest of the world. But that intentional distance made it hard for me to connect with the story as it went on.
There were also a couple of repeated elements that took me out of the horror of the plot. They didn't really lead anywhere but as the book went on, they jumped out at me more and more and created a bit of a distraction.
I do think that anyone who is a fan of true crime as a genre, or anything serial killer related, will absolutely love this book. It's extremely well done and, while I didn't connect with Suzy as much as I would have liked and wanted more details on Lim, I did find them to be believable characters. I just wasn't quite the right reader for this novel.
Kolesnik's writing is deft and I found myself having to take breaks between chapters because I needed a breather from the horrors depicted. Especially in the first half of the book, the brutality the author manages to get onto the page in such a cold, detached way is extremely unsettling. This book definitely had me squirming at the actions committed by and against Suzy. However, the story lost me a little in the back half. The time jump was a bit jarring, and I found there wasn't much for me to connect with. Again the writing is fantastic and I cannot fault the author at all there; it's clear that the reader is meant to be held at arm's length from Suzy, the same way she holds the rest of the world. But that intentional distance made it hard for me to connect with the story as it went on.
There were also a couple of repeated elements that took me out of the horror of the plot. They didn't really lead anywhere but as the book went on, they jumped out at me more and more and created a bit of a distraction.
I do think that anyone who is a fan of true crime as a genre, or anything serial killer related, will absolutely love this book. It's extremely well done and, while I didn't connect with Suzy as much as I would have liked and wanted more details on Lim, I did find them to be believable characters. I just wasn't quite the right reader for this novel.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
This was a brutal read. From the first page to the very last sentence, you’re pushed into a world where very little light breaches the dark. It is the story of Suzy who’s obsession with True Crime pales in comparison against the horror of her real life; sexually abused by her mother, and her mother’s boyfriend, witness to an abduction, and every awful undertaking by her brother Lim. For that reason her story is more harrowing than those she reads, and that’s just the opening couple of chapters! From thereon in you’re privy to a kind of Natural Born Killers meets On the Road. That said, there are moments Suzy’s big world thoughts make sense and add a poetic weight to the prose. Though she sees herself a lost cause, you find yourself wanting a better life for her. That can only happen with great writing. A quick read and recommended if you want a dark thriller, just be mindful you may need to watch a John Hughes movie afterwards.
3.5 star read. This book...this was a quick, but hard, read. A debut novel filled with horrors of the human variety, it left me feeling heavy and sad. It’s the story of abused siblings who go on a cross country murder spree (starting with their horrendous mother). It took a slight turn that I did not expect, and I liked that about it. Although the main characters are monsters in their own rights, you feel for them, the author does a great job of making Suzy a sympathetic character at times, despite the heinous acts committed by her and Lim. If you like dark horror that also deals with the dark side of human nature, this one may be for you. Trigger warnings for all kinds of things as well.
You can read my full review at:
https://mediadrome.wordpress.com/2020/01/31/true-crime-by-samantha-kolesnik/
This story is a story that is dark, violent, and completely unflinching in its portrayal of a deeply disturbed family, and the deeply disturbed individuals they find connection with, but it is also the story of the good people who try to help those individuals claw their way back from the darkness even if they are ultimately unsuccessful.
Suzy’s descent from victim to perpetrator is truly shocking, but it is not at all unbelievable. She is the survivor of a truly unfathomable childhood who comes out the other end in the only way that felt viable to her. She’s not the same as the people she came up with though – she has created her own kind of monster. It is incredibly bleak, and I really dig it.
The story is good, it’s powerful, and it is short enough that you’ll probably never feel like you’re drowning in the terrible (I didn’t, anyway). I feel like I’m going to be thinking about it for a good long time.
4.5 Stars rounded up to 5 for Goodreads
https://mediadrome.wordpress.com/2020/01/31/true-crime-by-samantha-kolesnik/
This story is a story that is dark, violent, and completely unflinching in its portrayal of a deeply disturbed family, and the deeply disturbed individuals they find connection with, but it is also the story of the good people who try to help those individuals claw their way back from the darkness even if they are ultimately unsuccessful.
Suzy’s descent from victim to perpetrator is truly shocking, but it is not at all unbelievable. She is the survivor of a truly unfathomable childhood who comes out the other end in the only way that felt viable to her. She’s not the same as the people she came up with though – she has created her own kind of monster. It is incredibly bleak, and I really dig it.
The story is good, it’s powerful, and it is short enough that you’ll probably never feel like you’re drowning in the terrible (I didn’t, anyway). I feel like I’m going to be thinking about it for a good long time.
4.5 Stars rounded up to 5 for Goodreads
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
All the stars. 10 stars. 20. Brutal and heavy. And gorgeously written. Like, look up from the page in awe moments.
Review from Sci Fi and Scary:
“This book is dedicated to the Creators and the Builders, the kind souls whom the world rarely deserves and so desperately needs” (Kolesnik, True Crime)
The synopsis is normal enough for a good horror book: siblings try to escape a bad mother, they go on a rampage, murder happens, madness follows. A blurb from Brian Keene likens the book to the works of Jack Ketchum and J.F. Gonzalez. Wait. What? Okay, I thought, this is going to be THAT level of book. I’ve got this. Then the dedication. Builders and Creators sounds interesting, yet a bit more positive than the rest. Until I focused on the words “…rarely deserves”.
Happiness and joy are only mere glimpses in this brutal and important coming-of-age style horror book. Kolesnik puts a magnifying glass up to very real and extremely graphic real life horror. Her female protagonist, Suzy, endures things no person should. Don’t think the events are in this book just for shock value. It IS a difficult, heavy read, and like all the great ones, a necessary one.
Suzy came to life for me; I felt empathy and horror and I was fully invested in her journey. Yes, this is Kolesnik’s debut novel, but this characterization is damn good even for a writer that has been writing for decades. Hell, every PIECE of writing is better. Like it happens in Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door, we are ON this ride, pulled along with the inability to stop. Only this time, we aren’t a level removed. The reader is there, experiencing it.
No more comparing this book to others. I only use those comparisons as a point of reference for the general feel of some of the situations. Kolesnik’s voice is unique. At times blunt and in others lyrical, her skill with the written word shines through on every page. The ending of this book took a turn I did not expect. Five short sentences hammer it home and I swear on everything if there is another book set in this world, I will be there.
It goes without saying (but I will anyway), that I will show up for WHATEVER Kolesnik writes in the future. Do not miss it.
Review from Sci Fi and Scary:
“This book is dedicated to the Creators and the Builders, the kind souls whom the world rarely deserves and so desperately needs” (Kolesnik, True Crime)
The synopsis is normal enough for a good horror book: siblings try to escape a bad mother, they go on a rampage, murder happens, madness follows. A blurb from Brian Keene likens the book to the works of Jack Ketchum and J.F. Gonzalez. Wait. What? Okay, I thought, this is going to be THAT level of book. I’ve got this. Then the dedication. Builders and Creators sounds interesting, yet a bit more positive than the rest. Until I focused on the words “…rarely deserves”.
Happiness and joy are only mere glimpses in this brutal and important coming-of-age style horror book. Kolesnik puts a magnifying glass up to very real and extremely graphic real life horror. Her female protagonist, Suzy, endures things no person should. Don’t think the events are in this book just for shock value. It IS a difficult, heavy read, and like all the great ones, a necessary one.
Suzy came to life for me; I felt empathy and horror and I was fully invested in her journey. Yes, this is Kolesnik’s debut novel, but this characterization is damn good even for a writer that has been writing for decades. Hell, every PIECE of writing is better. Like it happens in Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door, we are ON this ride, pulled along with the inability to stop. Only this time, we aren’t a level removed. The reader is there, experiencing it.
No more comparing this book to others. I only use those comparisons as a point of reference for the general feel of some of the situations. Kolesnik’s voice is unique. At times blunt and in others lyrical, her skill with the written word shines through on every page. The ending of this book took a turn I did not expect. Five short sentences hammer it home and I swear on everything if there is another book set in this world, I will be there.
It goes without saying (but I will anyway), that I will show up for WHATEVER Kolesnik writes in the future. Do not miss it.