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3.06 AVERAGE
3.06 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At just under 200 pages long, this was a very quick read, especially as there are no chapters, just short chunks of text which made me want to keep reading way past my bed time!
Told from the point of view of a woman in her 30s known only as The Professor it is an engaging 1st party narrative. The Professor we learn is newly separated from her husband after several rounds of IVF have helped contribute to the demise of their marriage. Left only with her ex-husbands cat (called Cat) who she tolerates, she lives in a run-down building in Brooklyn, working in a job that she doesn’t enjoy. She is broken and lonely. Her obsession for a famous actress who lives across the road with her perfect husband and perfect children is the centre of this story.
She watches the house all the time. She takes all of the things The Actress leaves out for charity and sets up a shrine of sorts with them in her spare room. She has sexual fantasies about the husband and generally devotes her life to watching and thinking about her, even choosing similar clothes and lipstick in an effort to become like her.
When an interaction with The Actress at the neighbourhood block party doesn’t go as The Professor hopes it will, what has begun as a largely innocent preoccupation, spirals quickly into madness, as she looses her grip on reality.
A dark and disturbing read but nevertheless hugely compelling, I thought this was fantastic! The character of The Professor is well developed and I felt I was witnessing first hand her unravelling as she becomes more obsessed with The Actress as her own life falls apart. Not an easy read by any means, it made me feel unsettled but I think it will stay with me for a long time and I will certainly be recommending it to anyone who will listen!
Told from the point of view of a woman in her 30s known only as The Professor it is an engaging 1st party narrative. The Professor we learn is newly separated from her husband after several rounds of IVF have helped contribute to the demise of their marriage. Left only with her ex-husbands cat (called Cat) who she tolerates, she lives in a run-down building in Brooklyn, working in a job that she doesn’t enjoy. She is broken and lonely. Her obsession for a famous actress who lives across the road with her perfect husband and perfect children is the centre of this story.
She watches the house all the time. She takes all of the things The Actress leaves out for charity and sets up a shrine of sorts with them in her spare room. She has sexual fantasies about the husband and generally devotes her life to watching and thinking about her, even choosing similar clothes and lipstick in an effort to become like her.
When an interaction with The Actress at the neighbourhood block party doesn’t go as The Professor hopes it will, what has begun as a largely innocent preoccupation, spirals quickly into madness, as she looses her grip on reality.
A dark and disturbing read but nevertheless hugely compelling, I thought this was fantastic! The character of The Professor is well developed and I felt I was witnessing first hand her unravelling as she becomes more obsessed with The Actress as her own life falls apart. Not an easy read by any means, it made me feel unsettled but I think it will stay with me for a long time and I will certainly be recommending it to anyone who will listen!
God, so boring. Nothing to hook me in but the synopsis' promise of a thriller: no tension, no real character development, unrealistic and unlikeable MC/narrator who is also unbearably dull. Ugh.
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infertility
Thank goodness that this book was only 180 pages. I don't think I have ever read a book (other than children's books) that did not have chapters. Whenever possible, I like to finish a chapter before I put a book down. With this book, there was nothing to go by, so I would try to read at least 10 pages at a time. I felt that the description on the back of this book was a little deceiving, as I did not think there was a big climax. I really don't think that this story is a thriller or very suspenseful, but the narrator (her name is never revealed) was definitely strange and you have to wonder what makes her tick. This wasn't the worst book I've read, but it was somewhat of a letdown after just reading My Lovely Wife.
I would not classify this as a thriller. It's a disturbing account of a mental breakdown. The only interesting part is the POV.
In the style of Gone Girl, etc., this was a fast paced read about a woman who's life is unraveling rapidly. Given the quantity of books of this style the author needs to bring something new and crisp to this genre and Sims missed the mark.