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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
Both these protagonists were AWFUL but this was still interesting to watch unfold!
At first I was worried it’d be a stressful story about living with evil squatters (a la Mark Edwards’ Here to Stay), but it’s actually a domestic thriller about a man selling the house out from under his wife and subsequently disappearing.
Both of them are meeeeega unlikeable, though the wife is easier to root for. He’s an absolute douche who is always convinced he’s the victim, while she’s a super uptight holier than thou busybody.
I haven’t looooved any of Louise Candlish’s stuff so far, but this has been my favourite! It was a quiet and easy thriller to listen to, and I loved exploring the tightknit community.
At first I was worried it’d be a stressful story about living with evil squatters (a la Mark Edwards’ Here to Stay), but it’s actually a domestic thriller about a man selling the house out from under his wife and subsequently disappearing.
Both of them are meeeeega unlikeable, though the wife is easier to root for. He’s an absolute douche who is always convinced he’s the victim, while she’s a super uptight holier than thou busybody.
I haven’t looooved any of Louise Candlish’s stuff so far, but this has been my favourite! It was a quiet and easy thriller to listen to, and I loved exploring the tightknit community.
Wow I loved this book! I really appreciated how Candlish was able to weave so many different concepts together and how complex the set up was. I enjoyed the additional comments from the 'listeners' and really felt it added to the story.
A more accurate rating from me would be a 3.5, but since I spent so much time complaining about this book until the second half, I'm rounding on the lesser number. I'm not usually one to read thrillers, mysteries, or stories pertaining to families/domestic life. However, I got this as a "mystery date with a book" selection, so figured I'd give it a shot.
I really feel like the first half of the story DRAGGED. So many details, and without explanation for them, the first half became extremely tedious. By the ending, some of those excruciating details pan out, but the memory of trudging through them still lingers.
I did really enjoy the various viewpoints through which the story was told: Fi's story, Bram's story, and the omnipotent narrator. It really gave a comprehensive fleshing-out to the plot, although I would have liked more from the omnipotent narrator, and less from Fi.
Finally, if you've read this one and want to talk about the ending, let me know. I have FEELINGS.
I really feel like the first half of the story DRAGGED. So many details, and without explanation for them, the first half became extremely tedious. By the ending, some of those excruciating details pan out, but the memory of trudging through them still lingers.
I did really enjoy the various viewpoints through which the story was told: Fi's story, Bram's story, and the omnipotent narrator. It really gave a comprehensive fleshing-out to the plot, although I would have liked more from the omnipotent narrator, and less from Fi.
Finally, if you've read this one and want to talk about the ending, let me know. I have FEELINGS.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
A bit of a domestic/cozy thriller - enjoyable to listen to, although the Twitter comments from the podcast listeners were tedious in audio format. A bit over-padded in parts, I thought - you wouldn't call it a lean narrative - but it moved along quite well to an exciting conclusion.
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A tantalising opening – Fi comes home one day and finds another family moving into her house and claiming to have bought it. If this happened to me, my thoughts would be ‘omg, me and my children are homeless!’ I thought it was a little odd that Fi was more concerned about inheritance and forever homes than basic housing issues.
As the old song goes “I’m gonna tear your playhouse down..” and the recurring appearance of the playhouse in this book seems a fitting motif for the sham of the marriage, the flimsiness of the domestic arrangements and the meaninglessness of London property values.
For regular readers of this genre, like me, the story really has to transcend its ‘twists’. Given that the twists were well signalled, was there enough of interest to keep me reading? Well, yes, just about. I did want to see what happened to Fi and Bram and the house. It was unrelentingly gloomy though. The chosen format, of telling the story through podcasts, word documents and third- person narrative, meant that events were retold from multiple viewpoints and I found this a bit repetitive.
Overall though, it was an easy and interesting read.
As the old song goes “I’m gonna tear your playhouse down..” and the recurring appearance of the playhouse in this book seems a fitting motif for the sham of the marriage, the flimsiness of the domestic arrangements and the meaninglessness of London property values.
For regular readers of this genre, like me, the story really has to transcend its ‘twists’. Given that the twists were well signalled, was there enough of interest to keep me reading? Well, yes, just about. I did want to see what happened to Fi and Bram and the house. It was unrelentingly gloomy though. The chosen format, of telling the story through podcasts, word documents and third- person narrative, meant that events were retold from multiple viewpoints and I found this a bit repetitive.
Overall though, it was an easy and interesting read.
I am REALLY struggling with reading with everything going on in the world, so I've taken a bit of a hiatus.
This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm so glad she did. The ending is amazing! A very classic style of thriller that keeps you guessing with a modern spin. Who knew fraud had gotten so clever.
This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm so glad she did. The ending is amazing! A very classic style of thriller that keeps you guessing with a modern spin. Who knew fraud had gotten so clever.