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jbt1234's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
It feels weird to be reviewing a book written by a woman who personally taught me a bunch of what I know about writing. I was lucky enough to be one of Hayley Scrivenor's many students at the University of Wollongong (whether she remembers me or not!), taught by all of the same people who taught her.
I was so excited to see this name on the bookshelf, and I grabbed it immediately! But what I also learned at UOW, particularly from one Shady Cosgrove, is that criticism only makes us stronger writers, so here it goes!
Interestingly enough, I found this book really shone after the mystery was done, in the last 15% we see the impact of all these events on all these characters. How they've changed, how they've learned or tried to escape. It might be that contemporary mystery isn't my usual genre of choice, but something about the narrative itself lacked a certain quality to make it super gripping in the lead up to the emotional resolution. I was invested in the people more than the story.
The way Dirt Town is written is unique and captivating, with beautiful Australian metaphor and imagery and a snapshot of the child psyche that's hard to pull off. The alternation between First Person, Third Person, and Collective pronouns was unique, if a little jarring at first. It felt like a late-night crime special on TV, told from Ronnie's perspective, and I quite enjoyed that once I got used to it.
I don't want it to seem like I think the plot was boring, or banal, it just wasn't quite as gripping as I think I was expecting a mystery to be. The beauty of this book lies in its characters, the machinations of a small Australian town, and the impact one missing little girl can have on a community.
I'm extremely proud to have learned from the author of this wonderful work, and I hope to see more from Hayley soon!
PS: A lot of my TBR at the moment is queer literature, and I really expected this to be a break. I was wrong, and this book has wonderful, contemporary, normalised queer representation and it was a wonderful surprise.
I was so excited to see this name on the bookshelf, and I grabbed it immediately! But what I also learned at UOW, particularly from one Shady Cosgrove, is that criticism only makes us stronger writers, so here it goes!
Interestingly enough, I found this book really shone after the mystery was done, in the last 15% we see the impact of all these events on all these characters. How they've changed, how they've learned or tried to escape. It might be that contemporary mystery isn't my usual genre of choice, but something about the narrative itself lacked a certain quality to make it super gripping in the lead up to the emotional resolution. I was invested in the people more than the story.
The way Dirt Town is written is unique and captivating, with beautiful Australian metaphor and imagery and a snapshot of the child psyche that's hard to pull off. The alternation between First Person, Third Person, and Collective pronouns was unique, if a little jarring at first. It felt like a late-night crime special on TV, told from Ronnie's perspective, and I quite enjoyed that once I got used to it.
I don't want it to seem like I think the plot was boring, or banal, it just wasn't quite as gripping as I think I was expecting a mystery to be. The beauty of this book lies in its characters, the machinations of a small Australian town, and the impact one missing little girl can have on a community.
I'm extremely proud to have learned from the author of this wonderful work, and I hope to see more from Hayley soon!
PS: A lot of my TBR at the moment is queer literature, and I really expected this to be a break. I was wrong, and this book has wonderful, contemporary, normalised queer representation and it was a wonderful surprise.
Content Warnings
Minor: Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Rape
samsearle's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Car accident, Homophobia, Rape, and Child death
dckathleen's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A little girl disappears in a rural Australian town. The story is told from various pov. It's a mystery and a reflection on relationships and small town life, on keeping secrets, and how kids experience things. It was sad but good.
Definitely some trigger warnings to consider here.
Definitely some trigger warnings to consider here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Homophobia, and Animal cruelty
prittypeaches's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is a bleak book... if you are here on Storygraph you know, but this is one that you should check the triggers for.
Written like a near-history historical fiction (set in early 2000s small town Australia), it's a very dark thriller - like Southern Noir only it's Outback Noir. It's great if you like to be reminded of Dunkaroos and Nokia 3310s while you read your thriller novel.
This book was long and a bit slow in setting out. I didn't know going in how I'd deal with a child missing/dead but it was hard work. I'm glad I read it but I'm not sure I can recommend it unless people want to read dark and bleak. There are many crimes in this book that keep the bleakness coming throughout, is isn't ONLY a book about a missing girl case.
Written like a near-history historical fiction (set in early 2000s small town Australia), it's a very dark thriller - like Southern Noir only it's Outback Noir. It's great if you like to be reminded of Dunkaroos and Nokia 3310s while you read your thriller novel.
This book was long and a bit slow in setting out. I didn't know going in how I'd deal with a child missing/dead but it was hard work. I'm glad I read it but I'm not sure I can recommend it unless people want to read dark and bleak. There are many crimes in this book that keep the bleakness coming throughout, is isn't ONLY a book about a missing girl case.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Car accident, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Murder, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Bullying
Minor: Animal death and Alcoholism
madluck's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Car accident, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Grief, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Child death, and Bullying
Moderate: Rape
serendipitysbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Dirt Creek is set in a small Australian town and is centred around the disappearance of twelve year old Esther who never makes it home from school one day. It unfolds via multiple points of view including a couple of her friends, her mother, a detective sergeant in charge of the investigation, and a Greek chorus representing the local children. I found this to be a propulsive read with the twists and foreshadowing at the end of chapters enticing me to continue reading, even though I already knew Esther’s fate, since it was revealed in the first chapter. The fact that many local secrets were revealed over the course of the investigation kept my interest high as well. The small town vibe felt very realistic. Socially it reflected my experiences growing up in a small town, and physically I felt transported to rural Australia with the heat, dust and wide empty roads. Not all authors get children right but I felt the depiction of Ronnie and Lewis, their reactions and understanding were spot on. Like Lewis I have an intellectually disabled sibling and that aspect of the book was handled sensitively, yet still felt fully authentic. This was not a faced paced, tense, dramatic, gore-ridden mystery/thriller that will get your heart racing. It was slower paced, focussed very much on character and community and I liked it all the more for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Child death
Moderate: Homophobia and Rape
orinposner's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An incredible novel, beautifully and carefully written. It tells the story of a girl’s disappearance and its investigation, but really the story of a small town with all the people in it, and their complicated, gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, very real lives.
This book made me cry and cry, and for many different reasons. I felt sad, scared, confused and frozen along with these characters. There are 5 different POVs: the detective, two (extremely loveable) children of the town, the mother of the missing girl, and a fascinatingly strange first-person plural (“we”). The writing is astoundingly good, and by that I mean not just beautiful prose, but the detailed language of people’s minds – how they think, what they pay attention to, what they remember.
I was also hooked on the mystery, anxious for the detective (another great character) to gather more information, and flipping back pages to re-read and re-consider earlier scenes once I figured something out.
This book made me cry and cry, and for many different reasons. I felt sad, scared, confused and frozen along with these characters. There are 5 different POVs: the detective, two (extremely loveable) children of the town, the mother of the missing girl, and a fascinatingly strange first-person plural (“we”). The writing is astoundingly good, and by that I mean not just beautiful prose, but the detailed language of people’s minds – how they think, what they pay attention to, what they remember.
I was also hooked on the mystery, anxious for the detective (another great character) to gather more information, and flipping back pages to re-read and re-consider earlier scenes once I figured something out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Rape and Homophobia
shutupiamreading's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Child death, and Car accident
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Addiction, Homophobia, and Drug abuse
library_dreamer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Twelve-year-old Esther goes missing after school one day in rural Australia. This is not something that happens in this small town. As the investigation unravels, dark secrets in the town surface that may or may not be connected to the child's disappearance.
I thought this novel was a wonderful mystery that left me fully engaged from start to finish. I suggest this one to all who love murder mysteries.
CW: Child abuse, child death, rape, animal abuse, homophobia, domestic abuse, ableism
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Child death, Rape, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Ableism
korpney's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Rape and Bullying
Minor: Homophobia