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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is pure fun, like a heist novel without the heist. What struck me most while reading it was the intensity of the character voices. Each of these 7 people feels first, like a whole person with a life, though we're only looking in on them through this one interview and second, like a different sort of person than the others. Some of them are more wise to the situation than others, all of them are deeply preoccupied with something whether it be drugs, extra-martial affairs, conspiracy theories, or in one case the thrill of leftist anarchist protest riots. The mystery is clever but honestly not the most interesting part of the book, as the characters are so much more engaging. Seeing everyone's motivations and the way their little moving part played into the operation was great. Not a 5 star because it didn't blow me away and I have some small questions about the author and what of the things portrayed here he might believe more or less but that's relatively minor.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Seven hotel employees/undercover operatives take part in a messy and unsuccessful operation, after which they give their versions to their superiors.
This was just…not good. Every character had the same voice, a lot of them had the same interests, not one of them was likeable. I finished this book more out of curiosity for what exactly it was that happened and found it just really bland. I can’t tell if that ending was pro-capitalism or anti-capitalism which speaks volumes about the verbosity of this whole book and how nothing was clear, even the parts that probably should have been.
This was just…not good. Every character had the same voice, a lot of them had the same interests, not one of them was likeable. I finished this book more out of curiosity for what exactly it was that happened and found it just really bland. I can’t tell if that ending was pro-capitalism or anti-capitalism which speaks volumes about the verbosity of this whole book and how nothing was clear, even the parts that probably should have been.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pretty good. The mystery is there for you to follow throughout the interviews, and all the chapters are linked together in some way. The final chapter has a satisfying ending, but its detail and depth casts a very wide, very dark shadow over chapters 2 - 6. Those in-between chapters have lost their appeal, unfortunately. They were interesting while I was reading them, but the final chapter? That was something on another level.
There are some parts of the book that struck me as a little unnatural, like the way some of the people talked when they referenced things around the city, but oh well. I'll just chalk it up to the fact that maybe some people do refer to the police as the Toronto Police Service or to the TTC as Toronto transit. And who still used tokens in 2022? It's just....sometimes, the characters do not speak as though they live in Toronto when they obviously do.
There are some parts of the book that struck me as a little unnatural, like the way some of the people talked when they referenced things around the city, but oh well. I'll just chalk it up to the fact that maybe some people do refer to the police as the Toronto Police Service or to the TTC as Toronto transit. And who still used tokens in 2022? It's just....sometimes, the characters do not speak as though they live in Toronto when they obviously do.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
mysterious
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
This was a very fun read. I marvelled at the different voices the author created in each character. But the ending was a letdown. I had hoped for more explanation on the Company, and expected (my own fault) more of a twist or a surprise. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this a lot. And I loved the detailed Toronto references.
Whitton does an excellent job of making each character vivid and unique, but I wish the satirical aspects had been more pointed.
challenging
mysterious
slow-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
I'm so sad as I write this.
This book actually made me feel a little inferior as a reader! Highly intelligent and clever, and was formatted in just the style I like- police interviews. I love any book that is written in an unusual way- emails, texts etc.
Firstly, I was hooked immediately in the opening chapter, intrigued on the operation that the workers were involved in. But the characters annoyed me! They waffled, digressed, spoke irrelevant information and I found myself shouting 'get to the point, I want the good stuff!' and I found myself losing interest very quickly.
As other people have loved it, I think I was just not in the right concentration head space for this one.
This book actually made me feel a little inferior as a reader! Highly intelligent and clever, and was formatted in just the style I like- police interviews. I love any book that is written in an unusual way- emails, texts etc.
Firstly, I was hooked immediately in the opening chapter, intrigued on the operation that the workers were involved in. But the characters annoyed me! They waffled, digressed, spoke irrelevant information and I found myself shouting 'get to the point, I want the good stuff!' and I found myself losing interest very quickly.
As other people have loved it, I think I was just not in the right concentration head space for this one.