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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
4.5 stars. Whew. I don't think I've ever read a book SO chock-full of unlikeable characters. In the entire book, there are maybe two characters I kinda like (nice but unstable neighbor Elsa and her sweet daughter) and we interact with them so little they make almost no impact in the story. Elsa has a small footprint that's important at one point, but for the rest of the book she and her family just serve to show a "normal" family in comparison to the massively messed up family on the forefront.
Speaking of, these are the awful, hated main characters and the three perspectives:
Sam: on the outside, a family man. You don't have to dig deep to find that he's actually a woman-hating adulterer who moved his wife to Sweden to isolate her from her friends so she would be all his. Shudder.
Merry: on the outside, the perfect wife and domestic goddess. She makes all the food, cleans the house, cares for the baby...or so you think. Merry is not as good of a mother as you're supposed to think at first (understatement of the year) and definitely not a good friend.
Frank: Merry's best friend since childhood who can't believe that Merry is truly happy in her new life as a stay-at-home mom with no purpose outside of the home. She wants to find out what's really going on, and she certainly discovers a lot, but along the way we see she's just as horrible as Sam and Merry. God, I hated these characters with a passion.
SOOOO you see we don't exactly have a nice group of characters to root for. I hated each of them. Maybe that was part of why I loved this book so much, I was allowed to, no, ENCOURAGED to relish in my hatred and satisfaction as characters failed. It was definitely a new feeling. This book wasn't good just because of the characters, though. The main storyline may not be a groundbreaking new idea but Ms. Sacks definitely added her own spin on it. She wove plot twists into her screwed up story and they're oh so good, though in a few cases were predictable. The writing is beautiful. In summary, I loved it. It was unsettling and sick and just really, really good. If you like psychological thrillers that really mess with your mind, this one is for you.
Speaking of, these are the awful, hated main characters and the three perspectives:
Sam: on the outside, a family man. You don't have to dig deep to find that he's actually a woman-hating adulterer who moved his wife to Sweden to isolate her from her friends so she would be all his. Shudder.
She could be the wife I needed. The mother my son deserved. Blank slate. That's what it was.
No, something else too. A way to contain her. To keep her focused on what mattered.
All alone. No friends. No job. Just me.
Just us. Better that way.
Merry: on the outside, the perfect wife and domestic goddess. She makes all the food, cleans the house, cares for the baby...or so you think. Merry is not as good of a mother as you're supposed to think at first (understatement of the year) and definitely not a good friend.
I edged closer to the crib and peered down at the hysterical child. My child. I shook my head.
I'm sorry, I said at last. Mommy is not in the mood.
I left the room and closed the door behind me.
Frank: Merry's best friend since childhood who can't believe that Merry is truly happy in her new life as a stay-at-home mom with no purpose outside of the home. She wants to find out what's really going on, and she certainly discovers a lot, but along the way we see she's just as horrible as Sam and Merry. God, I hated these characters with a passion.
I wanted to see it, Merry and Sam in Sweden, a pantomime not to be missed. I wanted to see her misery. I wanted to use it to soothe my own.
SOOOO you see we don't exactly have a nice group of characters to root for. I hated each of them. Maybe that was part of why I loved this book so much, I was allowed to, no, ENCOURAGED to relish in my hatred and satisfaction as characters failed. It was definitely a new feeling. This book wasn't good just because of the characters, though. The main storyline may not be a groundbreaking new idea but Ms. Sacks definitely added her own spin on it. She wove plot twists into her screwed up story and they're oh so good, though in a few cases were predictable. The writing is beautiful. In summary, I loved it. It was unsettling and sick and just really, really good. If you like psychological thrillers that really mess with your mind, this one is for you.
A very different and at times uncomfortable read which I could not put down. Just when you think you know where the story is headed it takes a turn down an even more dark and twisted path. It is the kind of book that will haunt me for a long time.
Stark trea! I början tyckte jag att den kändes lite väl amerikansk, men efter ca 50 sidor sögs jag in i ett hål av obehag, spänning, drrrrrrama, lögner och trasiga karaktärer. Hörde typ en thriller-soundtrack i huvudet medan jag läste för att det var så psykologiskt intense. Rekommenderar!
Kind of a hard book to rate, because while it's full of awful people doing awful, abusive things to each other and that isn't necessarily fun to read about... it's written very, very well. At first I wasn't sure about the writing style, but honestly, it was the perfect choice for the book, and it really drew me in after a while. It gave me that slow build of "something's not right here" and then horror that other novels sometimes can't pull off. So I'd suggest reading a sample chapter to see if the writing works for you and if you can handle the fact that you'll be rooting for exactly none of the characters.
The Darkest Path is one of those books with many great reviews, leaving me curious about the story. Although I wasn’t quite sure what I would get, I was happy to dive in.
After reading, I’m going to say this book was not for me. There were too many things about this one I disliked, things that had me feeling annoyed. I’m sure many will be fine with it, but I could not connect. I spent the entire book hating the characters and annoyed by how toxic everything was. There were some moments of sympathy, but they evaporated when I realised no one was innocent and everyone was bad. It was, at least, a quick read.
As I said, I think this is one of those cases where I wasn’t the right reader as the book was not for me – at all.
After reading, I’m going to say this book was not for me. There were too many things about this one I disliked, things that had me feeling annoyed. I’m sure many will be fine with it, but I could not connect. I spent the entire book hating the characters and annoyed by how toxic everything was. There were some moments of sympathy, but they evaporated when I realised no one was innocent and everyone was bad. It was, at least, a quick read.
As I said, I think this is one of those cases where I wasn’t the right reader as the book was not for me – at all.
With the creeping unease of recent domestic noir thrillers like Gone Girl, but tinged with the emotional darkness of the brilliant Monster Love by Carol Topolski, I rather enjoyed this twisted tale of marital bliss gone sour, and the more than dysfunctional relationship that we suddenly start to observe.
I found the first half of this book in particular, a fine example of pot-boiling suspense, as one couple’s new life in rural Sweden begins to show cracks and fissures, that Sacks exposes in a beautifully controlled fashion. The sudden sinister shocks that she surprises the reader with, and which may unsettle those of a more nervous disposition, become darker and darker as the plot progresses. Structured in alternating chapters, both Merry and Sam begin to have aspects of their characters exposed which become just a little more distasteful and disturbing in their words and deeds, but Sacks unashamedly brings the darkest compulsions of Merry front and centre, in her fraught relationship with her child. I think Sacks walks a very thin line here between voyeurism and objectivism with the issue of abuse she raises, and unlike the aforementioned Monster Love , I felt a certain disconnectedness with the intent of choosing this narrative, and the response it seeks to spark in the reader.
I think it appealed to me at first, that these are two of the most dislikeable and smug characters that I have encountered for some time, and although initially finding myself unable to look away from their solipsism, self absorption and fake morality, I did begin to grow weary of their naval gazing self justification for their eminently disturbing behaviour. With the advent of the arrival of Merry’s friend Frank, further scope was given to the author to explore the formative years of this trinity of more than a little screwed up protagonists, and give the reader time to see the strange dynamic between them begin to evolve. However, with this introduction of a new character, I felt the plot begin to crawl to a more sedentary drawn out pace, sparking a feeling of frustrated boredom, and just a muted eyebrow raise at some of the revelations. I felt that the story seemed to start circling itself only inching the narrative forward, after the assured pace and reveals of the first half of the book, and a strange propensity for overwritten truisms began to become increasingly more evident towards the end of the book, as opposed to the clarity of statement and intent from the characters at the beginning. Definitely a book of two halves for this reader.
I found the first half of this book in particular, a fine example of pot-boiling suspense, as one couple’s new life in rural Sweden begins to show cracks and fissures, that Sacks exposes in a beautifully controlled fashion. The sudden sinister shocks that she surprises the reader with, and which may unsettle those of a more nervous disposition, become darker and darker as the plot progresses. Structured in alternating chapters, both Merry and Sam begin to have aspects of their characters exposed which become just a little more distasteful and disturbing in their words and deeds, but Sacks unashamedly brings the darkest compulsions of Merry front and centre, in her fraught relationship with her child. I think Sacks walks a very thin line here between voyeurism and objectivism with the issue of abuse she raises, and unlike the aforementioned Monster Love , I felt a certain disconnectedness with the intent of choosing this narrative, and the response it seeks to spark in the reader.
I think it appealed to me at first, that these are two of the most dislikeable and smug characters that I have encountered for some time, and although initially finding myself unable to look away from their solipsism, self absorption and fake morality, I did begin to grow weary of their naval gazing self justification for their eminently disturbing behaviour. With the advent of the arrival of Merry’s friend Frank, further scope was given to the author to explore the formative years of this trinity of more than a little screwed up protagonists, and give the reader time to see the strange dynamic between them begin to evolve. However, with this introduction of a new character, I felt the plot begin to crawl to a more sedentary drawn out pace, sparking a feeling of frustrated boredom, and just a muted eyebrow raise at some of the revelations. I felt that the story seemed to start circling itself only inching the narrative forward, after the assured pace and reveals of the first half of the book, and a strange propensity for overwritten truisms began to become increasingly more evident towards the end of the book, as opposed to the clarity of statement and intent from the characters at the beginning. Definitely a book of two halves for this reader.
This book is difficult to review because... well the whole book is basically spoilers. Yikes. So, it's the basic stuff you find out in the first few pages to start us off.
The story is initially told by Merry and Sam. No, not those Hobbits, this is an American couple living in Sweden - so still a long way from home and with stunning scenery, but more rooted in reality. And that reality is harsh. These characters are painfully real. As in, unpleasantly so. Sacks wonderfully captures the unpleasantness that is far more common than we really like to admit. Those thoughts that happen in private moments of anger and hurt laid bare for the reader to squirm at. It's uncomfortable because it's so believable, even if these characters are an extreme and concentrated aspect of that. The narration is soon joined by Merry's childhood friend Frank. Between the three of them, the whole story unfolds. And what a story it is!
Yeah, this is where it gets difficult. Both to read and review. But, for such uncomfortable reading, I found the book hard to put down. I don't know if it's a morbid case of rubbernecking the wreckage that develops or sense of hope that these people will show a new side of themselves - which they do, and rarely for the better.
This is a story of secrets and lies. The pain people inflict on others. It's a story full of sadness. And it works wonderfully. The countless twists and turns often come from nowhere. The unexpected is commonplace. It makes for an enthralling story.
It is an uncomfortable read. But it's also rewarding. As the plot wrapped up a sense of comfort washed over me. It was worth the read. No review can do this book justice simply because I don't think you can talk about what makes it so powerful without saying too much, so please read this! If only so I can talk to you about it all!
The story is initially told by Merry and Sam. No, not those Hobbits, this is an American couple living in Sweden - so still a long way from home and with stunning scenery, but more rooted in reality. And that reality is harsh. These characters are painfully real. As in, unpleasantly so. Sacks wonderfully captures the unpleasantness that is far more common than we really like to admit. Those thoughts that happen in private moments of anger and hurt laid bare for the reader to squirm at. It's uncomfortable because it's so believable, even if these characters are an extreme and concentrated aspect of that. The narration is soon joined by Merry's childhood friend Frank. Between the three of them, the whole story unfolds. And what a story it is!
Yeah, this is where it gets difficult. Both to read and review. But, for such uncomfortable reading, I found the book hard to put down. I don't know if it's a morbid case of rubbernecking the wreckage that develops or sense of hope that these people will show a new side of themselves - which they do, and rarely for the better.
This is a story of secrets and lies. The pain people inflict on others. It's a story full of sadness. And it works wonderfully. The countless twists and turns often come from nowhere. The unexpected is commonplace. It makes for an enthralling story.
It is an uncomfortable read. But it's also rewarding. As the plot wrapped up a sense of comfort washed over me. It was worth the read. No review can do this book justice simply because I don't think you can talk about what makes it so powerful without saying too much, so please read this! If only so I can talk to you about it all!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child death