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readcodelove's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
esshgee's review against another edition
2.0
Started well but then I lost interest and didn't care about the characters. Some of the descriptive passages were well-written, but overall it's not really my kind of story.
amyburra29's review against another edition
4.0
Could not put this down until I finished, in a bath long gone cold. I hadn't noticed.
I adore the writing style, so descriptive but concise and punchy.
A new favourite author.
I adore the writing style, so descriptive but concise and punchy.
A new favourite author.
tazzle_dazzle's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how I feel about this book... On one hand the characters and premise were intriguing and the writing was engaging and kept up a good pace; I felt real suspense and anxiety for Liese. On the other hand, it was really erratic and I'm still not exactly sure what happened. Worth a read though, especially if you want something to mess with your head a little.
moirastone's review against another edition
3.0
A stifling and confusing experience. What seemed simply seedy became far weirder; I felt as if I had wandered into a hall of mirrors. Eros and cruelty swapped places. Then I got tenderness when I expected venom. I remain, even days after finishing it, unsure of what was real.
3vi333's review against another edition
5.0
this book was incredible and claustrophobic and haunting. beautifully written and completely thrilling, the ending left me shaken up. below are just a few sections i ended up highlighting and coming back to:
What was not happening between us had a presence of its own.
*
Talking about what he knew - meat - seemed to relax him. I wondered if he was entirely serious or whether this butchery chat was a way of dealing with his shyness. Either way, Alexander could not disguise a hopeful look: the introvert's pleasure at the prospect of being drawn out.
*
Still I waited – there was the faintest ripple of glass as the wind charged by – and only slowly did I realise: the sound of his watch was in fact my watch, with its cheap mechanism; the sound of his breathing was really my own lazy breath, the heartbeat belonged to my body. This room now seemed to shrink, closing in until it was as small as a room in my head. He had been here, and now he was not. Turning off the lights, Alexander had disappeared, leaving me to lie alone in the pure dark.
*
Old houses make me self-conscious. I knew no one could see me, but somewhere there were eyes. I made the bed, straightening the frayed satin edge of the blanket, plumping up the vintage pillow – admiring the frugality of rich people – and I did these things as though a camera were embedded in the ceiling’s cornice.
Everything now was performative: I was brushing my hair, dressing neatly. Then I was closing the door quietly behind me and walking down the grand staircase, through the house’s formal area to the servants’ quarters.
*
...how close a nightmare can be to an exquisite dream. I almost wished I was not so filled with horror.
What was not happening between us had a presence of its own.
*
Talking about what he knew - meat - seemed to relax him. I wondered if he was entirely serious or whether this butchery chat was a way of dealing with his shyness. Either way, Alexander could not disguise a hopeful look: the introvert's pleasure at the prospect of being drawn out.
*
Still I waited – there was the faintest ripple of glass as the wind charged by – and only slowly did I realise: the sound of his watch was in fact my watch, with its cheap mechanism; the sound of his breathing was really my own lazy breath, the heartbeat belonged to my body. This room now seemed to shrink, closing in until it was as small as a room in my head. He had been here, and now he was not. Turning off the lights, Alexander had disappeared, leaving me to lie alone in the pure dark.
*
Old houses make me self-conscious. I knew no one could see me, but somewhere there were eyes. I made the bed, straightening the frayed satin edge of the blanket, plumping up the vintage pillow – admiring the frugality of rich people – and I did these things as though a camera were embedded in the ceiling’s cornice.
Everything now was performative: I was brushing my hair, dressing neatly. Then I was closing the door quietly behind me and walking down the grand staircase, through the house’s formal area to the servants’ quarters.
*
...how close a nightmare can be to an exquisite dream. I almost wished I was not so filled with horror.
hannahbanks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
limeywesty's review against another edition
2.0
This book was compelling, unsettling and like the Australian Get Reading sticker suggests, I could not put it down. Having said that, I'm still not sure if I'm entirely convinced by the premise. Or maybe it was my narrator that wasn't utterly convincing. I can't say I liked this but the high level of intrigue surrounding it got to me. That, and Jennifer Byrne.