Reviews

Breaking and Entering by Joy Williams

Only show reviews with written explanations

geoffreylittle's review

4.0

Excellent main characters and god-like writing abilities. The story is a fantastic premise but seemed to constantly spin out into abstractions. I had no idea where we were in the story by the last 30 pages. The author is unusually comfortable with spectacular and bizarre asides.

nanyabiznes's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

ericfheiman's review

Go to review page

5.0

Joy Williams, where have you been all my life?

cmcrockford's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

Read to catch up with an old Weird Studies episode but the experience is hypnotic and deeply, deeply sad. The title and plot promises something more structured, and I did think of Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard's Floridian grotesquerie, but this isn't really a genre novel even if it has some crimes. Death, decline, ennui, and heartbreak rule the day here, along with a mystical doublespeak associated mainly with the character of Willie but it's also embedded deep in the prose. Where many books would have exposition, this has mystery mixed with a very real pain, rooted in degradation and deep depression, even if the last half does come to a real climax.

Content Warnings