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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was as absolutely fantastic and I enjoyed every moment of it
*spoilers*
The only thing that would’ve made this book a little better for me is if things were tied up between her and her brother and her and her mother. Particularly her and her brother as the book seemed to be driven by his need to reunite them and it was mentioned more than once that he was afraid of losing her or scaring her off and in the end she just went home? There was no conversation?? I was really happy that her dad made an appearance at the end and was happy with his news and the twist at the end was obviously fabulous. Very much enjoyed the book but a few more ends needed to be tied for it to be a perfect 5. For me it’s a 4.5 out of 5, I’ve given it a 5 because a 4 doesn’t reflect how I feel!
*spoilers*
The only thing that would’ve made this book a little better for me is if things were tied up between her and her brother and her and her mother. Particularly her and her brother as the book seemed to be driven by his need to reunite them and it was mentioned more than once that he was afraid of losing her or scaring her off and in the end she just went home? There was no conversation?? I was really happy that her dad made an appearance at the end and was happy with his news and the twist at the end was obviously fabulous. Very much enjoyed the book but a few more ends needed to be tied for it to be a perfect 5. For me it’s a 4.5 out of 5, I’ve given it a 5 because a 4 doesn’t reflect how I feel!
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A bit unremarkable. I read White’s second novel before this and Nowhere Child pales in comparison. They had a similar formula but the twist was better in The Wife And The Widow. And there was no weird cult
dark
emotional
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book read like a true crime documentary. Not that I’ve read many of those, I just mean it felt very real. I also remember watching documentaries about murders and other nasty stuff linked to somewhat zealous religious groups, and I got the same chills from this story as well.
While the current timeline was somewhat emotional, with Kim trying to find out more about her supposed family, I found the events of 1990 way more gripping. There was so much going on in that small town. Needless to say, they were mostly terrible things, thanks to the Pentecostal Cult, I mean Church, whose members were very much into extreme exorcism, snake handling and other horrible shit that shouldn’t even exist. (Without being too specific, think along the lines of beating people with the Bible and trying to drown them as a way to convince them about… things…)
I’m not a particular fan of the missing or kidnapped child trope, but this one seemed different, because first of all, we know the main character is indeed the girl who went missing. As much as this book was about the mystery of who took Sammy, it put equal amount of emphasis of the raw emotions that come to light when she resurfaces. Long buried secrets are uncovered, and all those mistakes and regrets from the past are suddenly biting everyone in the ass.
There’s an awful lot of mentions of snakes as well, which frankly creeped me out a lot with the detailed descriptions of what they feel like and how they smell. I can stomach murder and such, but snakes… No, thank you. Well, this book gave me the shivers, so good job. No, really.
While the current timeline was somewhat emotional, with Kim trying to find out more about her supposed family, I found the events of 1990 way more gripping. There was so much going on in that small town. Needless to say, they were mostly terrible things, thanks to the Pentecostal Cult, I mean Church, whose members were very much into extreme exorcism, snake handling and other horrible shit that shouldn’t even exist. (Without being too specific, think along the lines of beating people with the Bible and trying to drown them as a way to convince them about… things…)
I’m not a particular fan of the missing or kidnapped child trope, but this one seemed different, because first of all, we know the main character is indeed the girl who went missing. As much as this book was about the mystery of who took Sammy, it put equal amount of emphasis of the raw emotions that come to light when she resurfaces. Long buried secrets are uncovered, and all those mistakes and regrets from the past are suddenly biting everyone in the ass.
There’s an awful lot of mentions of snakes as well, which frankly creeped me out a lot with the detailed descriptions of what they feel like and how they smell. I can stomach murder and such, but snakes… No, thank you. Well, this book gave me the shivers, so good job. No, really.
I loved this! And it was his debut novel, so impressive.
The cult vibes were excellent, and I loved the relationship dynamics.
There were quite a lot of characters, so they didn't all seem too fleshed out but thats understandable.
I have two more of his books, and now I can't wait to read them!
The cult vibes were excellent, and I loved the relationship dynamics.
There were quite a lot of characters, so they didn't all seem too fleshed out but thats understandable.
I have two more of his books, and now I can't wait to read them!