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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
A fast-paced, fast read, alternate POV story of a fictionalized account of a true crime. Definitely shed some tears.
This is a fast-paced, tense mystery told through the multiple perspectives and distinct voices of six main characters. Readers know from the beginning that Christopher Goodman was shot and that those six were in some way involved, then gradually come to know all seven figures through their shared narration. All but the victim feel a burden of guilt; the question is why. It's a gripping and moving reveal.
Give me a book with multi-voiced narrative and throw in a good mystery, based on a true crime and you have my attention. The voice of 6 teenagers, including the shooter, wind around each other as the reader gets to know them and Christopher Goodman. The intertwining mix of prose and poetry begins after the death and works backwards. And then the voices come together on one final piece tying in a knot with the death of Christopher. Extra bonus: author notes about the inspiration for the book.
BOOK TALK: If you didn't guess it from the title, let me tell you this book begins with a death. 6 teenagers tell the story of the events before and after the murder of Christopher. One of those voices is the killer.
BOOK TALK: If you didn't guess it from the title, let me tell you this book begins with a death. 6 teenagers tell the story of the events before and after the murder of Christopher. One of those voices is the killer.
i really enjoyed this, I'm guessing the writing drew me in.
While the title implies a classic murder mystery, "Who Killed Christopher Goodman?" is not about discovering the person responsible for his death. Instead, the novel's multiple POVs include the murderer's but mostly all those who may have nudged circumstances one way or another that led to the sequence of events. It is more a rumination on the web of interaction we all have with each other, and readers who expect grisly plot twists will find themselves disappointed in a story that is relatively straightforward and tense only in the way teenage pranks backfiring can be.
That said, I thought that the many characters worked overall. They all had their own voices, with Doc's the most rounded out, Squib's the most engaging, and Leonard's the most distinct as his passages take on a spoken word quality. The plot jumping from after, to before, to after again serves the purpose of seeing how the characters come to brush up against their involvement with Christopher on his last night.
That said, I thought that the many characters worked overall. They all had their own voices, with Doc's the most rounded out, Squib's the most engaging, and Leonard's the most distinct as his passages take on a spoken word quality. The plot jumping from after, to before, to after again serves the purpose of seeing how the characters come to brush up against their involvement with Christopher on his last night.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This has a lot of promise but it fell flat for me. I normally am one for multi-narrative books, but this one was more confusing than interesting. I think there was too many narratives and not executed well. And the story isn't so much about the murderer of Christopher but everything that led up to it, which I didn't care much for.
This was a very quick read. I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives - it helped speed things along. Without that, I think this would have been a bit bland. I didn't tag this as a mystery/thriller despite the title. It didn't have any typical mystery elements. I saw another reviewer call this a fictional memoir which, after reading the author's note, seems very accurate. So tragic that this is based on a real crime and I appreciate the author letting us into his memory/grief this way. But overall it was just each character's perspective of the events leading up to the murder. Since it was obvious who the killer was from the start, that shock factor or reveal was gone. I was frustrated and sad at times but really didn't develop any strong connections to the characters.
loved the format of this book and that it was based on actual events.
Eh? I wanted to like this, but it was way too short and it was really hard to care about any of the characters when I'd read two pages of their POV and then it switches to another and then another and then three more. I love short reads, but this one didn't feel developed enough. Stray observation: Christopher Goodman is totally a manic-pixie-dream-boy.