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timna_wyckoff's review
4.0
This was so great......until the ending. The whole thing seemed wild and nearly out of control in such a good way, but in the end.....too much.
jilly7922's review
4.0
Dan Chaon is a well established author. He is the author of "Await Your Reply" and "Among The Missing." This book is about Dustin a psychologist who has a traumatic past. His family was murdered, and his older brother got convicted to life in prison for this crime. Years later it turns out that Rusty his brother got released from prison and his sentence overturned because DNA evidence proved him innocent. With Rusty getting out of prison and a new set of crimes of a possible serial killer comes present Dustin's life gets turned upside down.
Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was a well written story. The reason this book worked out so well was because the author was successful in writing about unlikable characters and still making this book an exciting, interesting story. I usually do have trouble reading and finishing books where the characters are unlikable. The author did a really good job in writing a story that covers a large time span because this book flowed and fit together well. The suspense in this book was thrilling, and once you get to the end you are in for a surprise. I have to say I usually do not choose books of this nature, it is not something I would pick first off a shelf. But I am so glad I read this because overall it was an excellent must read book.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Dan Chaon, and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
For more book reviews come and read my blog at http://turnthepagereviewsbyjill.blogspot.com
Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was a well written story. The reason this book worked out so well was because the author was successful in writing about unlikable characters and still making this book an exciting, interesting story. I usually do have trouble reading and finishing books where the characters are unlikable. The author did a really good job in writing a story that covers a large time span because this book flowed and fit together well. The suspense in this book was thrilling, and once you get to the end you are in for a surprise. I have to say I usually do not choose books of this nature, it is not something I would pick first off a shelf. But I am so glad I read this because overall it was an excellent must read book.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Dan Chaon, and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
For more book reviews come and read my blog at http://turnthepagereviewsbyjill.blogspot.com
labunnywtf's review
2.0
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and balanced review.
Dammit to hell. This book has such promise. Such promise. It's the story of a gruesome murder committed in 1983, and a series of seemingly unrelated deaths in the present day. A psychologist, his family, and one of his patients are the main players. And you spend the entire book waiting for the other shoe to fall.
This book is in intense need of a good edit. And I'm not just talking about our main character, Dustin, and his half finished sentences and casual drifting off. The confusion and disjointedness actually works brilliantly for him, because his mind is clearly not all there.
But this confusion and lack of a simple bloody outline follows every single chapter, from the twin sisters to the son, Aaron.
I wanted very badly to follow along. I figured out immediately where the serial killer angle was going. I suspected the ending to the family story, but fell for a few red herrings along the way. The family storyline was more compelling, even if it was the D plot of the book. Much easier to follow along than the serial killer plot.
Which is also a damn shame, because this is an untapped idea. The falseness of the belief in Satanic cults has been touched upon in other books, and in much better ways. But a serial killer taking out drunk frat boys? It's absolutely perfect. Comparisons could be made to how prostitutes are the most common serial killer victims, because no one looks too closely at "high risk victims".
Such a massive playground to work with, and this is what came of it.
I am so disappointed.
Dammit to hell. This book has such promise. Such promise. It's the story of a gruesome murder committed in 1983, and a series of seemingly unrelated deaths in the present day. A psychologist, his family, and one of his patients are the main players. And you spend the entire book waiting for the other shoe to fall.
This book is in intense need of a good edit. And I'm not just talking about our main character, Dustin, and his half finished sentences and casual drifting off. The confusion and disjointedness actually works brilliantly for him, because his mind is clearly not all there.
But this confusion and lack of a simple bloody outline follows every single chapter, from the twin sisters to the son, Aaron.
I wanted very badly to follow along. I figured out immediately where the serial killer angle was going. I suspected the ending to the family story, but fell for a few red herrings along the way. The family storyline was more compelling, even if it was the D plot of the book. Much easier to follow along than the serial killer plot.
Which is also a damn shame, because this is an untapped idea. The falseness of the belief in Satanic cults has been touched upon in other books, and in much better ways. But a serial killer taking out drunk frat boys? It's absolutely perfect. Comparisons could be made to how prostitutes are the most common serial killer victims, because no one looks too closely at "high risk victims".
Such a massive playground to work with, and this is what came of it.
I am so disappointed.
alfsan's review
2.0
Just not my cup of tea.
*First, the bad:*
> There were many mysteries or plots within the main plot but none really took charge, twists or explanation.
> I felt it dragged for too long.
> The "twists" were really predictable and with no "Mystery" whatsoever
> The background provided on some of the characters was just all over and it felt more like a lack of direction rather than a literary approach
> The ending was a bit disappointing, more than I'd like to admit.
> The character development starts good, but then it kind of stops mid explanation of understanding. Felt like I was being guided in one direction along a maze but the guidance suddenly stopped and it just feels a bit lost.
*And now, the good:*
> It is creepy, the writing keep me at edge Sometimes, when it didn't feel the drag of the story
> Its prose evolves and it takes a more serious and literary approach towards the end, really liked that
> Interesting story, that has many subplots, but maybe too many too deep for its own benefit.
I would definitely wouldn't classify as terror, but more of a dready thriller.
As with any book, it's a Personal opinion, a personal journey. Each book is its own master and has its own set of disciples, i just really didn't feel a connection.
*First, the bad:*
> There were many mysteries or plots within the main plot but none really took charge, twists or explanation.
> I felt it dragged for too long.
> The "twists" were really predictable and with no "Mystery" whatsoever
> The background provided on some of the characters was just all over and it felt more like a lack of direction rather than a literary approach
> The ending was a bit disappointing, more than I'd like to admit.
> The character development starts good, but then it kind of stops mid explanation of understanding. Felt like I was being guided in one direction along a maze but the guidance suddenly stopped and it just feels a bit lost.
*And now, the good:*
> It is creepy, the writing keep me at edge Sometimes, when it didn't feel the drag of the story
> Its prose evolves and it takes a more serious and literary approach towards the end, really liked that
> Interesting story, that has many subplots, but maybe too many too deep for its own benefit.
I would definitely wouldn't classify as terror, but more of a dready thriller.
As with any book, it's a Personal opinion, a personal journey. Each book is its own master and has its own set of disciples, i just really didn't feel a connection.
billymac1962's review
4.0
I'm not entirely sure what I want to say about this one.
Ill Will stayed on my to-read list for a few years, despite the lowish 3.36 average rating (this despite raves from critics). It was those raves that made it stick on my list, plus the fact that I loved the only other book I had read of his, Await Your Reply.
Having finished the book, I can certainly understand the low ratings from a lot of readers. While the story does mostly resolve at the end, there are some things that are left for the reader to assume. And that's okay. I think the obvious assumptions do apply and I'm alright (except for the damn emojis) with not having those one or two things spelled out for me. Another problem that people seemed to have was with some of Chaon's style. Dustin's incomplete sentences didn't bother me because this was how he spoke. Heck, I do the same thing sometimes. I've just never seen it displayed in writing like this before. Again, okay.
People also took issue with his approach of having two or three columns of simultaneous narrative on the same page. Count me as one of them. I have very little time for printing gymnastics, especially when it's an abysmally awkward presentation on my Kindle.
Stephen King has done this on occasion and it irks me when he does it, too.
Just tell me the story.
There are definite positives, though. This was a highly propulsive read by sheer virtue of solid character development and two mysterious storylines that begged resolution.
I finished this book last night and I am still thinking about it. There was a lot to these characters and this story, but I have lingering resentment over some of the issues I've mentioned.
He's a very good writer. If you haven't read him, I highly recommend Await Your Reply.
My feelings are mixed about this one, and yet, I can't give it less than four stars, and it is very close to being the most reluctant 5 stars I've ever given.
Ill Will stayed on my to-read list for a few years, despite the lowish 3.36 average rating (this despite raves from critics). It was those raves that made it stick on my list, plus the fact that I loved the only other book I had read of his, Await Your Reply.
Having finished the book, I can certainly understand the low ratings from a lot of readers. While the story does mostly resolve at the end, there are some things that are left for the reader to assume. And that's okay. I think the obvious assumptions do apply and I'm alright (except for the damn emojis) with not having those one or two things spelled out for me. Another problem that people seemed to have was with some of Chaon's style. Dustin's incomplete sentences didn't bother me because this was how he spoke. Heck, I do the same thing sometimes. I've just never seen it displayed in writing like this before. Again, okay.
People also took issue with his approach of having two or three columns of simultaneous narrative on the same page. Count me as one of them. I have very little time for printing gymnastics, especially when it's an abysmally awkward presentation on my Kindle.
Stephen King has done this on occasion and it irks me when he does it, too.
Just tell me the story.
There are definite positives, though. This was a highly propulsive read by sheer virtue of solid character development and two mysterious storylines that begged resolution.
I finished this book last night and I am still thinking about it. There was a lot to these characters and this story, but I have lingering resentment over some of the issues I've mentioned.
He's a very good writer. If you haven't read him, I highly recommend Await Your Reply.
My feelings are mixed about this one, and yet, I can't give it less than four stars, and it is very close to being the most reluctant 5 stars I've ever given.
squirrelallie's review
3.0
It's very awkward to rate/review a book when it's written by a "Goodreads Author."
haleylmorrison's review
3.0
I haven’t read a book that made me this uncomfortable or gross-feeling in a really long time. The setting and all the characters were so sad, pathetic, and bleak. Dustin and Aaron were well-written - the missing parts and weird stylized text were confusing but I understand what the author was trying to do. The changes in perspective were well-executed and did a good job conveying the confusion and uncertainty the characters were experiencing. I felt like it could have been longer and that the story wrapped up too quickly and neatly. I really liked seeing how weird Dustin really was as the story progressed and we heard from other characters. And was Aqil really the killer of all those boys? I was confused by the ending since it happened so fast. The writing was really descriptive and overall I really liked the book. The topics it covered were super interesting and I haven’t seen them touched on often (the Satanic panic and the consequences surrounding it).