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geraldine's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.0
Was originally going to rate this a 3.5 but after thinking about it in the car AND half writing this review I think a 3 is more fair.
i did genuinely like a lot of it! i thought all the different character perspectives worked really well, even the "we" perspective. i thought all the characters and their reactions felt very real, especially constance, hers was the most harrowing and affecting to me. the voice of the book just really worked for me and i was engaged the whole time
however,
look. i said all the characters and reactions felt real, and i did mean that. and with that said i hated sarah. she was well written and felt like a real person i could meet! and i hated her. her and her cop buddy manipulating their suspects in order to arrest them, getting mad when people wouldn't talk to them without lawyers or without a warrant, misrepresenting the confidence of DNA evidence... really gross stuff.
i mean, to an extent i do think you're supposed to recognize that they're flawed individuals just like the rest of the cast, like... it's not like constance is perfect and the book knows that and expects you to realize that as well. but with sarah... she talks about how her exes (or women she expressed interest in that didn't go farther!) all hated that she was a cop and how her ex tried to get her to pull away from it, and she just dug in further and viewed it as an intrinsic part of herself.
plus the whole segment with her and amira's breakup and domestic violence... you can't remove this from the statistics that cops are much more likely than the general population to abuse their spouses/partners. when sarah was thinking "what if she tells my superiors" this was all i could think about! and it IS domestic violence even if it isn't in the same way that lewis's father terrorizes his family.
i also felt comparing sarah hurting amira with shel's drunk driving and esther's subsequent death rang false and left a bad taste in my mouth. i get the message of "sometimes tragic accidents happen when you make an emotional mistake" and how this can change the course of your life, but comparing "sarah getting mad that amira doesn't like that she's a cop, and then shoving her into a nightstand and hurting her" and "shel being triggered by seeing someone involved in her horrific trauma, a friend calling her a liar about it, drinking and then accidentally killing someone with her car" are apples and oranges. sarah wanted to shove amira out of anger. shel didn't want to kill a child. like yes i don't think sarah wanted amira to hit the nightstand and actually get physically hurt, but she did consciously choose to put her hands on her?? i mean i suppose you could make an argument about drunk driving, about it being always dangerous (and you would be right), but it's not a pointed, directed choice against a single person. i'm not even really arguing about either circumstance being in the book but the book directly calling a comparison between them feels so nasty to me.
thestorygraph only note: i do wish i had a better book club so we could actually discuss a book like this. i think there's a lot to discuss!!
the three stars really are for everything else not in my spoiler section. i really genuinely liked the rest, the story, the writing style, the characters...!
i did genuinely like a lot of it! i thought all the different character perspectives worked really well, even the "we" perspective. i thought all the characters and their reactions felt very real, especially constance, hers was the most harrowing and affecting to me. the voice of the book just really worked for me and i was engaged the whole time
however,
look. i said all the characters and reactions felt real, and i did mean that. and with that said i hated sarah. she was well written and felt like a real person i could meet! and i hated her. her and her cop buddy manipulating their suspects in order to arrest them, getting mad when people wouldn't talk to them without lawyers or without a warrant, misrepresenting the confidence of DNA evidence... really gross stuff.
i mean, to an extent i do think you're supposed to recognize that they're flawed individuals just like the rest of the cast, like... it's not like constance is perfect and the book knows that and expects you to realize that as well. but with sarah... she talks about how her exes (or women she expressed interest in that didn't go farther!) all hated that she was a cop and how her ex tried to get her to pull away from it, and she just dug in further and viewed it as an intrinsic part of herself.
plus the whole segment with her and amira's breakup and domestic violence... you can't remove this from the statistics that cops are much more likely than the general population to abuse their spouses/partners. when sarah was thinking "what if she tells my superiors" this was all i could think about! and it IS domestic violence even if it isn't in the same way that lewis's father terrorizes his family.
i also felt comparing sarah hurting amira with shel's drunk driving and esther's subsequent death rang false and left a bad taste in my mouth. i get the message of "sometimes tragic accidents happen when you make an emotional mistake" and how this can change the course of your life, but comparing "sarah getting mad that amira doesn't like that she's a cop, and then shoving her into a nightstand and hurting her" and "shel being triggered by seeing someone involved in her horrific trauma, a friend calling her a liar about it, drinking and then accidentally killing someone with her car" are apples and oranges. sarah wanted to shove amira out of anger. shel didn't want to kill a child. like yes i don't think sarah wanted amira to hit the nightstand and actually get physically hurt, but she did consciously choose to put her hands on her?? i mean i suppose you could make an argument about drunk driving, about it being always dangerous (and you would be right), but it's not a pointed, directed choice against a single person. i'm not even really arguing about either circumstance being in the book but the book directly calling a comparison between them feels so nasty to me.
thestorygraph only note: i do wish i had a better book club so we could actually discuss a book like this. i think there's a lot to discuss!!
the three stars really are for everything else not in my spoiler section. i really genuinely liked the rest, the story, the writing style, the characters...!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Sexual assault, Rape, and Domestic abuse
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
joannalouise's review
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault and Injury/Injury detail
lara_alicia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
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
captainolyareads's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It's during the hottest spring in decades when 12-year-old Esther vanishes on her way home from school, her disappearance triggering a series of secrets to come floating to the surface. As Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels sifts through fact and fiction to determine what happened, her investigation is hindered by several members of the small community, even the most well-intentioned like Esther's best friend, Ronnie. When she learns that Lewis, a mutual friend of theirs, knows more than he's letting on about Esther's disappearance, she doesn't understand why he's not willing to go to the police. Even children have secrets of their own, and talking about his, will expose more than just his. Narrated by several POV's, this slow burn, small town mystery tackles what it means when a community is both banded and divided by the secrets it keeps.
I've enjoyed mysteries set in Australia because of the atmospheric tension the arid setting often evokes but Dirt Creek didn't do it for me. I found it difficult to stay invested, both from the sluggish pacing and the characters. There were simply too many to keep track of. One of the POV's was dedicated to Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels, and it felt like she spent more time reminiscing on a former break-up and fantasizing about every woman she met as a potential love interest rather than solving Esther's disappearance. A lot of it came down to unnecessary exposition as well. Lastly, there were several references to animal abuse and torture that I thought were irrelevant to the story.
I've enjoyed mysteries set in Australia because of the atmospheric tension the arid setting often evokes but Dirt Creek didn't do it for me. I found it difficult to stay invested, both from the sluggish pacing and the characters. There were simply too many to keep track of. One of the POV's was dedicated to Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels, and it felt like she spent more time reminiscing on a former break-up and fantasizing about every woman she met as a potential love interest rather than solving Esther's disappearance. A lot of it came down to unnecessary exposition as well. Lastly, there were several references to animal abuse and torture that I thought were irrelevant to the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Bullying
maddie_a_'s review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Child death
rubyrosereads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.5
This novel is such a clever and well written murder mystery set in a blistering heatwave in a small country town. This book took me right back to hot summers as a kid, when going to the pool and eating icy poles was a reprieve from the burning sun.
Switching between past and present, we discover twelve year old Esther’s body has been found after she went missing. Her best friend Ronnie begins telling the story before we see the many happenings of Dirton, nicknamed Dirt Town, through the eyes of various locals.
The writing was really well done, with various styles for each of the characters. We see Ronnie’s childlike innocence which has her convinced that her best friend will definitely come back. We see the adults, who each have their own dark stories simmering below the surface, while the reader is left guessing at which of these stories lead to Esther’s murder.
Highly recommend if you’re looking for a gripping mystery set in country Australia.
Switching between past and present, we discover twelve year old Esther’s body has been found after she went missing. Her best friend Ronnie begins telling the story before we see the many happenings of Dirton, nicknamed Dirt Town, through the eyes of various locals.
The writing was really well done, with various styles for each of the characters. We see Ronnie’s childlike innocence which has her convinced that her best friend will definitely come back. We see the adults, who each have their own dark stories simmering below the surface, while the reader is left guessing at which of these stories lead to Esther’s murder.
Highly recommend if you’re looking for a gripping mystery set in country Australia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Domestic abuse
annamolpus's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
A mystery centered around the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl in a small Australian town. Some of the narrators are children, some are adults, all have secrets. I found both the characters and the mystery engrossing - comparisons to Jane Harper are apt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child death, and Grief
kellyung's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Rape, Kidnapping, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Animal death, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Ableism, and Incest
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