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figgylove's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay but lacked character and plot development. Many threads left incomplete in the end. Still have lots of questions.
evelynsky's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Meet the eerie, dangerous, psychological cousin of Lord of the Flies.
This book grabbed me from the moment I saw its strange cover and didn't let me go until I finished it a day later.
Like a rollercoaster, I was pulled in so many directions of thought and plot, I could predict nothing-- not its genre, not its plot twists, and certainly not its baffling ending that has me still thinking about it two years later.
This book grabbed me from the moment I saw its strange cover and didn't let me go until I finished it a day later.
Like a rollercoaster, I was pulled in so many directions of thought and plot, I could predict nothing-- not its genre, not its plot twists, and certainly not its baffling ending that has me still thinking about it two years later.
lizfran's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
merricatct's review against another edition
4.0
Using this for the “gothic novel” prompt of the AtY challenge, and “book with an animal in the title” for the Popsugar challenge. I read this in an afternoon - my only regret is that it’s sunny out, because this is the perfect book for a gloomy, rainy day. Creepy, uncomfortable, and claustrophobic, this was like Lord of the Flies crossed with a good ghost story. Don’t read this if you want a tidy, crystal-clear ending - this is not a book that cares about answering your questions. But it’s a great book if you want to experience being unsettled for an afternoon or so.
whateverwalked's review
dark
slow-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
4.5
bernknits's review against another edition
2.0
This felt like being in a very bad dream, and in that I believe it is successful. However, I felt detached from the characters and recoiled from the narrator through most of the book -which may have a point lost on me. Just wasn’t the cozy creepy gothic scare I expected.
eawillis's review against another edition
4.0
The Job of the Wasp is a tense, paranoid novel; it’s the kind of book to sink into on a stormy winter night and read in one sitting (preferably while sipping hot tea).
Our unnamed narrator arrives at a home for orphaned boys. Rather than a warm welcome, he is greeted by faces that meld together, a disturbingly disinterested headmaster, unknown assailants, and an endless array of corpses that keep popping up at inconvenient times. Part ghost story, part boarding school story, the terror of this book ranges from bloodless veins to cultish friend groups to the peculiar horror of a strong scent of pumpkin.
In a voice that is eerily dispassionate, cold, and precise, the boy relates these strange events while also considering the nature of human responsibility to the other, and particularly what it means to commit an act of violence against another. What is the job of the wasp? What do we owe to those around us? He tracks an ever-shifting killer, turning in circles, following the same trajectory, endlessly. The killer is both within and without, and the investigation of these murders unfolds like a theatrical production, culminating in a mind-melting ending.
Our unnamed narrator arrives at a home for orphaned boys. Rather than a warm welcome, he is greeted by faces that meld together, a disturbingly disinterested headmaster, unknown assailants, and an endless array of corpses that keep popping up at inconvenient times. Part ghost story, part boarding school story, the terror of this book ranges from bloodless veins to cultish friend groups to the peculiar horror of a strong scent of pumpkin.
In a voice that is eerily dispassionate, cold, and precise, the boy relates these strange events while also considering the nature of human responsibility to the other, and particularly what it means to commit an act of violence against another. What is the job of the wasp? What do we owe to those around us? He tracks an ever-shifting killer, turning in circles, following the same trajectory, endlessly. The killer is both within and without, and the investigation of these murders unfolds like a theatrical production, culminating in a mind-melting ending.
leaflinglearns's review against another edition
4.0
If you liked the style of the movie The Killing of a Sacred Deer, you MUST READ THIS!!
sambortle's review against another edition
5.0
Rating this 5 stars because I want all of my friends to read it and then talk to me about what the fuck actually happened. I honestly don’t know if I loved this or hated it but damn was it a wild ride.
sarahsbookstack's review against another edition
3.0
kind of weird and a tiny bit crazy. I didn't quite like the writing. I found myself skimming a lot of the non-dialogue parts. ended with a crazy woman found to have been murdering boys at this school for who knows how long.