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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Listened as an audiobook and was generally entertained. Was overall what I expected from a person-held-captive type plot. The book was mostly slow going for me, but the last 10% of the book had me very on edge!
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First time in a while that I've read a book in one day but this was such a brilliant book that I didn't want to put it down. It made me think of the brilliant book "Room" and had me really rooting for the girls and almost cry when she tried to escape. Highly highly recommend this book
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I agree with a lot of the feedback on here -- this book was horrifying with suspense and psychological torment but would I call it a horror or thriller? Not really.
The book really focuses on the incredible will to live as well as the definition of family and community. I see the comparison to Room easily but not Misery (yes, the deplorable action of hobbling) but I saw the dark twist of Rebecca. Here was Thanh Dao being forced to live in the dark shadow of Jane, set to the impossible task by a monster to recreate everything his mother did. Cut to me being killed immediately if I were ever in this situation because how did Thanh Dao go 6 years without calling Lenn out on his Oedipus Complex?
And I guess that's what made the book tough to enjoy (is enjoy even an appropriate word with this book?). Thanh Dao's internal dialogue is easy to empathize with but the little detail as to who she is as a person made it difficult to be fully invested in her freedom. It's uncomfortable to say but I was less rooting for Thanh Dao's freedom as I was rooting for Lenn's entire being to implode with a savage revenge that would ripple across the hideous land he tilled. In addition to flat characters, the few twists in the book were very predictable.
Maybe Thanh Dao would feel more fleshed out if you were with her as she lost all 17 of her items, making those impossible choices with her? Maybe the story would have been more compelling if it there was a way to make something redeemable about Lenn. Don't get me wrong, human trafficking is always appalling and the people who capture, torture, and abuse women over extended periods are demonstrably wastes of human life. But that's what makes empathizing with Thanh Dao and hating Lenn easy. There is no conflict for the reader where they walk away anymore haunted than they would reading the news and knowing people like Thanh Dao and Lenn exist in the world.
The book really focuses on the incredible will to live as well as the definition of family and community. I see the comparison to Room easily but not Misery (yes, the deplorable action of hobbling) but I saw the dark twist of Rebecca. Here was Thanh Dao being forced to live in the dark shadow of Jane, set to the impossible task by a monster to recreate everything his mother did. Cut to me being killed immediately if I were ever in this situation because how did Thanh Dao go 6 years without calling Lenn out on his Oedipus Complex?
And I guess that's what made the book tough to enjoy (is enjoy even an appropriate word with this book?). Thanh Dao's internal dialogue is easy to empathize with but the little detail as to who she is as a person made it difficult to be fully invested in her freedom. It's uncomfortable to say but I was less rooting for Thanh Dao's freedom as I was rooting for Lenn's entire being to implode with a savage revenge that would ripple across the hideous land he tilled. In addition to flat characters, the few twists in the book were very predictable.
Maybe Thanh Dao would feel more fleshed out if you were with her as she lost all 17 of her items, making those impossible choices with her? Maybe the story would have been more compelling if it there was a way to make something redeemable about Lenn. Don't get me wrong, human trafficking is always appalling and the people who capture, torture, and abuse women over extended periods are demonstrably wastes of human life. But that's what makes empathizing with Thanh Dao and hating Lenn easy. There is no conflict for the reader where they walk away anymore haunted than they would reading the news and knowing people like Thanh Dao and Lenn exist in the world.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
This is a difficult book because of the content. I have never hated a character as much as Len. I listened to the audiobook. A very emotional, raw, gritty, sad book. It’s made sadder because I know human trafficking is very real. Glad it ended the way it did.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
On the edge of my seat the entire book. Beautifully written for such a dark book. My heart broke so many times and I was screaming at the pages. So engrossed by this story. Felt a whole cocktail of emotions after reading