Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - I Have Some Questions for You

Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

75 reviews

rachelle_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I will read anything by this author. This is not your average mystery/thriller. A decades-old murder lies at the heart of the story, sure, but the author deftly explores adolescence and how we reflect on it in middle age, men abusing girls and young women, racism in the criminal justice system, and how true crime media plays into all
of it.

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lolapants's review against another edition

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dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

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kimveach's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book grabbed my attention from the start and held it through to the end. I loved the story of a podcaster looking into her own school history of a murder of a classmate. With her students attempting a podcast similar to Serial, she examines not only the original murder but also society as a whole in this Me Too age.

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knittingtipsy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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pamscafati's review against another edition

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5.0

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melanie_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I'm not always one for page-turners, but Makkai's latest had me. Of course, having graduated from high school in 1995 and being a podcast lover in 2023, I Have Some Questions For You had elements firmly in my wheelhouse.

For those considering reading this book, it is so much more than a whodunit by forcing the reader to reflect on how much has changed since the 1990s and how our words and actions can unintentionally impact others in a major way.

I Have Some Questions For You is so much of our moment yet reflective without being nostalgic. My only quibble is with the title. I found it difficult to remember and while by the end of the book, I understood its intention more fully, I think it does the book a disservice in trying to get it out into the world.

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mads_jpg's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.25

As someone who isn't a big fiction reader, I probably would never have read this book if it weren't for my work book club, but I'm so glad I did.

I'm also really skeptical about the true crime entertainment industry, so this book's take on the genre was incredibly refreshing. The author's frequent references to real life cases, and her deliberate choice to not name perpetrators and instead center the experiences of both victims and survivors was fantastic. This book left me angry at the injustice of the justice system and the microagressions that eventually lead to violence against women and people of colour.

Overall, it was an insightful take on true crime as a form of entertainment, and my only real critique was that the ending left me somewhat wanting.

While I'd loved the use of "you" as this ongoing mystery, I was disappointed we never had any kind of climax/closure with Mr Bloch. And while I know in reality Omar would probably never get justice, I really hoped the book would opt for a happy ending for him. Lastly, the final chapter felt like an odd way to finish the story. Aside from Bodie reflecting on Carlotta's death, it just felt like a moment of pause before the actual ending, so I was genuinely surprised when I realised it was over.

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