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lauramags's review against another edition
The plot was interesting and held my attention but I found it really hard to get past the occasional use of homophobic slurs and the need of one male character to justify his relationships with other males as being 'just friends'. I know this language played a part in building the nastier side to characters. It was something I personally found jarring and hard to get past especially in 2019.
ohwowbee's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A short and impactful read that gives the false impression of being a tacky guilty pleasure. Some loose threads (dropped characters/plotlines, messy resolutions, etc.) but altogether I enjoyed!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual assault
whatjasread's review against another edition
2.0
This was very poorly written - there was no connection between characters which ultimately led to me feeling no connection to the story or the people in it. It’s a carbon copy of the film The Riot Club except it’s just majorly dumbed down and one-dimensional in comparison. I’m super disappointed by this.
weirdtea's review against another edition
2.0
It was a compelling read at the beginning. The narrator’s isolation, perspective, and tone were intriguing. The other characters with their mystery and damage made me think the story would take me to unusual places. And...it really didn’t. There’s a sort of brittle or arid quality to a lot of fiction about upper class wealthy people and their stories that this text shares. It’s not my favorite.
The trauma was exactly what I’d feared and predicted. It’s not, to put it mildly, my favorite either.
So, really, I can’t say it’s a bad book. It’s not poorly written or anything. I can say it was disappointing to me and I wouldn’t recommend it to my friends. YMMV.
The trauma was exactly what I’d feared and predicted. It’s not, to put it mildly, my favorite either.
So, really, I can’t say it’s a bad book. It’s not poorly written or anything. I can say it was disappointing to me and I wouldn’t recommend it to my friends. YMMV.
augenstern's review against another edition
2.0
All in all, the book was interesting because it inspired me to think of a whole bunch of better stories that could’ve been written with similar plots. To make it short: it’s a bit as if Bret Easton Ellis had decided to rewrite The Secret History.
Which is, all in all, an intriguing concept, but in general the book was nothing to write home about. The plot was rather predictable and the side plots were, to put it mildly, subtle.
Hans (who has a very old-fashioned name considering the story takes place during the age of “Asian women taking topless pictures on their iPads in front of random trees at Cambridge” which was probably the most ridiculous detail this book featured) is asked to join a very exclusive and prestigious club. He was suited for that because he’s a boxer. No one tells him what he’s supposed to be looking for.
That’s basically it.
I would’ve enjoyed the story more if the characters would’ve been a bit less cliché. The Antagonist was such a blatant Bret Easton Ellis character, his presence at a british boxing club was almost laughable. He could’ve been a very interesting person if only he’d had some layers. If the “secret” had been anything other than (spoiler) men using their positions of power to rape girls, he could’ve been an interesting antagonist, maybe even a character of some value or character development. But alas.
The author was very noticeably male. There’s a lot of needless male gaze : we learn about the sexual relationship the protagonist had with a 16year old when he was 14, for no reason whatsoever, for example and homosexuality is a vaguely threatening entity to be mocked, feared and shamefully indulged in. The main character is the only one who treats a gay man with complete disregard of his sexuality which I assume is very woke of him and proves his good character. Also the focus of the novel as a whole seems to be on violence, whether it’s between the boxers or regarding the crime that has occurred.
There is an attempt to create an atmosphere, which in some ways works. I think the flair of German woods was rather nicely condensed at times, but that could be because I know what the author is talking about. Can’t say that his descriptions of Cambridge impressed me very much.
To sum it up: Something to be read over the weekend, but nothing that’ll leave a lasting impact.
Which is, all in all, an intriguing concept, but in general the book was nothing to write home about. The plot was rather predictable and the side plots were, to put it mildly, subtle.
Hans (who has a very old-fashioned name considering the story takes place during the age of “Asian women taking topless pictures on their iPads in front of random trees at Cambridge” which was probably the most ridiculous detail this book featured) is asked to join a very exclusive and prestigious club. He was suited for that because he’s a boxer. No one tells him what he’s supposed to be looking for.
That’s basically it.
I would’ve enjoyed the story more if the characters would’ve been a bit less cliché. The Antagonist was such a blatant Bret Easton Ellis character, his presence at a british boxing club was almost laughable. He could’ve been a very interesting person if only he’d had some layers. If the “secret” had been anything other than (spoiler) men using their positions of power to rape girls, he could’ve been an interesting antagonist, maybe even a character of some value or character development. But alas.
The author was very noticeably male. There’s a lot of needless male gaze : we learn about the sexual relationship the protagonist had with a 16year old when he was 14, for no reason whatsoever, for example and homosexuality is a vaguely threatening entity to be mocked, feared and shamefully indulged in. The main character is the only one who treats a gay man with complete disregard of his sexuality which I assume is very woke of him and proves his good character. Also the focus of the novel as a whole seems to be on violence, whether it’s between the boxers or regarding the crime that has occurred.
There is an attempt to create an atmosphere, which in some ways works. I think the flair of German woods was rather nicely condensed at times, but that could be because I know what the author is talking about. Can’t say that his descriptions of Cambridge impressed me very much.
To sum it up: Something to be read over the weekend, but nothing that’ll leave a lasting impact.
loogee's review against another edition
3.5
3.5/5 ⭐️ a quick, interesting read but it deals with a lot and often left me very uncomfortable. tbh, I’m still processing it
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