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damarisr's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
skfhopkins's review against another edition
1.0
Nope!
What in the world did I just read/listen to?! First of all- do NOT listen to this through the Alexa app- it is awful and they butcher the language. Secondly, what kind of ending is that? What happened to Ness? No type of justice? I feel like I just wasted my time with this book.
What in the world did I just read/listen to?! First of all- do NOT listen to this through the Alexa app- it is awful and they butcher the language. Secondly, what kind of ending is that? What happened to Ness? No type of justice? I feel like I just wasted my time with this book.
ianthereader0's review against another edition
5.0
Book • Review
The Houseboat
Dane Bahr
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Out March 8, 2022
The Houseboat by Dane Bahr is a book that I did not expect to get so lost in, but that’s exactly what happened. Described as an atmospheric noir set in a small Iowa town in the 1960’s, I wouldn’t necessarily say that I entered into this book with any particular expectation of amazement. That being said, from the very first page to the very last, The Houseboat was as murky and dense as a swamp, in the best way possible. The atmosphere in this book stuck to me as I blazed through this small volume, and hasn’t really left my mind in the days since I finished it. It’s honestly a bit strange how this impacted me, to be quite honest; it almost felt like I was the only one who would read this book, because something about the experience of reading it was so immersive it felt personal.
But, enough gushing, what is this book about? A murder takes place in a small Iowa town, and big city detective Ed Ness is called in to assist the sherif in getting to the bottom of it. Ness has some serious demons, and must grapple with them while also trying to unearth the secrets of the small town.
This novel has some extremely well crafted characters, both “good” and “evil”, with big ol’ quotes around both of those categorizations. The character that truly stand out in this novel is Rigby Sellers, the pariah living on the houseboat with some seriously disturbing vices, and a heartbreaking past. There so many instances in this book that had me simultaneously transfixed and appalled. Enter with caution, as this is some unsettling stuff.
The thing about this book that I truly adored is the ever present sense of dread that seems to permeate this book. There is a quote from the book that I feel perfectly captures my feelings:
“It had frightened him like no other, in a way he couldn’t comprehend. It wasn’t the creatures necessarily, but the place and being in that place alone. The stillness of it all. The quiet that precedes horror.”
That is it, exactly. Much of this book is quiet and still, but every page seems to precede horror. And I loved it.
Thank you Counterpoint Press for the early copy. This releases March 8th!
The Houseboat
Dane Bahr
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Out March 8, 2022
The Houseboat by Dane Bahr is a book that I did not expect to get so lost in, but that’s exactly what happened. Described as an atmospheric noir set in a small Iowa town in the 1960’s, I wouldn’t necessarily say that I entered into this book with any particular expectation of amazement. That being said, from the very first page to the very last, The Houseboat was as murky and dense as a swamp, in the best way possible. The atmosphere in this book stuck to me as I blazed through this small volume, and hasn’t really left my mind in the days since I finished it. It’s honestly a bit strange how this impacted me, to be quite honest; it almost felt like I was the only one who would read this book, because something about the experience of reading it was so immersive it felt personal.
But, enough gushing, what is this book about? A murder takes place in a small Iowa town, and big city detective Ed Ness is called in to assist the sherif in getting to the bottom of it. Ness has some serious demons, and must grapple with them while also trying to unearth the secrets of the small town.
This novel has some extremely well crafted characters, both “good” and “evil”, with big ol’ quotes around both of those categorizations. The character that truly stand out in this novel is Rigby Sellers, the pariah living on the houseboat with some seriously disturbing vices, and a heartbreaking past. There so many instances in this book that had me simultaneously transfixed and appalled. Enter with caution, as this is some unsettling stuff.
The thing about this book that I truly adored is the ever present sense of dread that seems to permeate this book. There is a quote from the book that I feel perfectly captures my feelings:
“It had frightened him like no other, in a way he couldn’t comprehend. It wasn’t the creatures necessarily, but the place and being in that place alone. The stillness of it all. The quiet that precedes horror.”
That is it, exactly. Much of this book is quiet and still, but every page seems to precede horror. And I loved it.
Thank you Counterpoint Press for the early copy. This releases March 8th!
kcook14's review
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? It's complicated
3.0
annettesanroman's review
dark
fast-paced
2.0
Unique writing but no character depth, and the ending was awful.
manson6212's review against another edition
3.0
If wasn’t bad. It wasn’t good. It was mostly weird and a little creepy.
kellyroberson's review
2.0
Editing down to two stars for the sadism for no reason and the absolute condescension to regionality. The dude isn’t the Midwest Faulkner. Super creepy, no redemption for any characters, I skimmed to get to the torturous end.
kaitlynbee's review
2.0
2.5 ⭐️ This book was not for me. The lack of quotation marks was annoying, and the ending was terrible. *A few spoilers ahead* The fact that the sheriff wasn’t suspicious when another character goes missing with all his stuff left behind? Also seemed like a lot of flaws when it came to trying to apprehend Sellers. It fell flat for me.