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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
Everything about this book is fantastic except that it kept getting in its own way. The characters are great, the plot is great, the writing is great, the ending is top notch but how it tells its story...
While the story is all connected, chapters feel like short stories told from different characters perspectives. So often one chapter will reveal something big, only for the next chapter to take 150 pages for that character to realize the same thing. At times it just left me begging the story to keep moving, especially in the first half. I didn't actually realize the importance of things until the story came together. But, despite the ending being so good I can't get past how frustrating parts of it felt.
It's frustrating because this book is incredible, and yet I often could not wait until it was over. My mind is torn in two directions on this novel and that's a weird feeling.
And also, that's that.
While the story is all connected, chapters feel like short stories told from different characters perspectives. So often one chapter will reveal something big, only for the next chapter to take 150 pages for that character to realize the same thing. At times it just left me begging the story to keep moving, especially in the first half. I didn't actually realize the importance of things until the story came together. But, despite the ending being so good I can't get past how frustrating parts of it felt.
It's frustrating because this book is incredible, and yet I often could not wait until it was over. My mind is torn in two directions on this novel and that's a weird feeling.
And also, that's that.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Un chef-d'œuvre.
Enríquez ne bronche pas, ne fléchit jamais. C'est un récit dur, souffrant: les traumas, la maladie et la douleur chronique, l'horreur inéluctable sous-jacente aux abus des inégalités sociales. À aucun moment la plume ne se soumet à une quelconque pudeur, et c'est là sa plus grande force, ce qui accroche l'attention (comme des griffes) et ne lâche jamais le morceau.
La construction des personnages est magistrale. La trame narrative est une toile complexe, ficelée avec une précision chirurgicale; aucun détail n'est laissé pour compte. Une relecture s'impose et sera un cadeau.
Enríquez ne bronche pas, ne fléchit jamais. C'est un récit dur, souffrant: les traumas, la maladie et la douleur chronique, l'horreur inéluctable sous-jacente aux abus des inégalités sociales. À aucun moment la plume ne se soumet à une quelconque pudeur, et c'est là sa plus grande force, ce qui accroche l'attention (comme des griffes) et ne lâche jamais le morceau.
La construction des personnages est magistrale. La trame narrative est une toile complexe, ficelée avec une précision chirurgicale; aucun détail n'est laissé pour compte. Une relecture s'impose et sera un cadeau.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It did all come together in the end. I loved the way the (reprehensible) characters were written. Definitely slower paced due to the meandering, person to person narrative. But the eerie parts were so well done, so disturbing, and the pace shifted to quicker when needed.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Yes
wow. hooked from start to finish - crazy for Enriquez to go from only having published short stories to nailing this 729-page epic. loved the split timelines and perspectives, with each part of the story shedding a little more light on the overall narrative.
the way the dictatorship and political situation was built in to the story was great, providing a realist counterpart to the supernatural elements and grounding the wickedness of the family in their aristocratic class, political ties and mass exploitation of labour. the ending was perfect in its tact and ambiguity, rounded it all off very nicely
the way the dictatorship and political situation was built in to the story was great, providing a realist counterpart to the supernatural elements and grounding the wickedness of the family in their aristocratic class, political ties and mass exploitation of labour. the ending was perfect in its tact and ambiguity, rounded it all off very nicely
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Classism
