Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist

1 review

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

tense 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? No

1.0

 

Context:

I read Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist because of Jesse On Youtube’s recommendation. I borrowed it from my local library through the Libby App.

 

Review:

Lately, I’ve been reading and watching a lot of stories about poor protagonists who work for ominous wealthy people/corporations. Tripping Arcadia certainly falls into this category, and I can see its potential; it has a strong beginning chapter and some interesting plot threads. Beneath its Gothic vibes, however, Tripping Arcadia is nothing more than a clunky debut novel that struggles under the weight of its stilted prose, flat characters, and convoluted plot. 

 

When reading Tripping Arcadia, experienced readers will recognize some of the common prose mistakes made by debut authors: awkward phrasing, the tendency to tell instead of show, overuse of passive voice, etc. It could have been worse—it didn’t prevent me from becoming engrossed in the story—but it also left something to be desired.

 

For me, the most interesting part of the book is the two wealthy siblings, Jonathan and Audrey. They appear to have a checkered past and Mayquist wraps them up in an aura of mystery; are they to be pitied, or to be feared? Unfortunately, we never learn much about them and they remain in enigmas rather than developed characters. Similarly, Lena, the protagonist, fails to come alive on the page. She claims to care about her family and friends but easily abandons them to hang out with the rich people she supposedly hates, and her supposed rage against the wealthy disappears at the drop of the hat when Mayquist needs to move the plot along. In the hands of a more capable author, this sort of dithering could be fascinating, but at the end of the day, Lena is confusing and boring.

 

One of the biggest appeals of books like Tripping Arcadia is the opportunity to see rich people behaving badly and hopefully get punished for it. The wealthy in this book do indeed behave badly, but not in any way that made me think that Mayquist has any solid grasp on what rich people and their lives are actually like. The result is a ludicrously convoluted plot that makes no sense. By the end of Tripping Arcadia, I had no idea what was going on—but I also didn’t care.

 

The Run-Down: 

You might like Tripping Arcadia if . . . 

·      You’re in it for the Gothic vibes, bisexual main character, and trippy plot

·      You’re looking for a thriller rather than a horror novel

 

You might not like Tripping Arcadia if . . .

·      You like well-developed characters and a believable plot

·      You want an incisive social commentary about wealth

 

 

A Similar Text:

The movie 2023 movie Saltburn, which at the time of writing this review is all the rage.  I liked Saltburn much more than Tripping Arcadia, so take this comparison with that in mind. Similarities include:

·      Family of rich, dysfunctional assholes who host lavish, drug-filled parties in their Gothic mansion

·      An outsider main character with devious intentions

·      Poison and murder

·      Sexual tension between the main character and two rich siblings

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Medical content, Suicide, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Bullying, Vomit, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse