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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
mysterious
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
From the provocative and striking title+cover combo, on top of the sterling crime book reputation that Broobs and Phillips have, I was genuinely (& pleasantly) surprised to find myself wading through a melancholy, contemplative, grimy suburban tale of lies, lost loves and longing.
Like, none of that is new to B&P works, but usually an eruption of bloodshed happens sooner rather than later. It was a pleasant surprise, to be honest, and I would gladly read this kind of thing from them again and again. I'm glad that 20+ years into their creative relationship they continue to look inward and outward for new frontiers.
Honestly, the third act was a bit of a way-homer, in that I got through the climax and was--if not disappointed--a bit left cold by the sudden and fast nature of it. I know that sometimes that's how it all happens, but it almost didn't have the weight I wanted in the moment. This is kind of a front-handed criticism because really what I'm saying is I wanted more! I wanted to live in this grubby little street more before everything just kind of blew up.
The little epilogues that looked forward were excellent and really brought it home for me, though--mournful and honest and utterly devastating. Ed's afterword also helped contextualize the whole thing for me. I love stories that are born from real life events that dig into you and grow like a seed into a story. They have a strange timbre to them, almost dreamlike in their nostalgia and perverse nature, like hearing grown-ups downstairs talking about grown-up things, except now you're an adult too, so having this childhood feeling is a bit eerie.
Can't wait to see what they do next!
Like, none of that is new to B&P works, but usually an eruption of bloodshed happens sooner rather than later. It was a pleasant surprise, to be honest, and I would gladly read this kind of thing from them again and again. I'm glad that 20+ years into their creative relationship they continue to look inward and outward for new frontiers.
Honestly, the third act was a bit of a way-homer, in that I got through the climax and was--if not disappointed--a bit left cold by the sudden and fast nature of it. I know that sometimes that's how it all happens, but it almost didn't have the weight I wanted in the moment. This is kind of a front-handed criticism because really what I'm saying is I wanted more! I wanted to live in this grubby little street more before everything just kind of blew up.
The little epilogues that looked forward were excellent and really brought it home for me, though--mournful and honest and utterly devastating. Ed's afterword also helped contextualize the whole thing for me. I love stories that are born from real life events that dig into you and grow like a seed into a story. They have a strange timbre to them, almost dreamlike in their nostalgia and perverse nature, like hearing grown-ups downstairs talking about grown-up things, except now you're an adult too, so having this childhood feeling is a bit eerie.
Can't wait to see what they do next!
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
"because everything's about feelings when you're a kid"
I thought the setup was super cool like having a map and a cast of characters with flashes of them now and then like a true crime documentary, plus I'm always a sucker for an 80's summer mystery, but this was just okay. It was missing any wow factor or any reason for me to care about whose body was found or what happened to it. Most of the characters also seemed to fall into stereotypes which might've been a factor for my not caring, but idk I expected more than just this little snapshot of their work that felt more like a magazine you'd find in a video game that does nothing for the story but is just kinda cool and part of an achievement of reading all the comics in it
I thought the setup was super cool like having a map and a cast of characters with flashes of them now and then like a true crime documentary, plus I'm always a sucker for an 80's summer mystery, but this was just okay. It was missing any wow factor or any reason for me to care about whose body was found or what happened to it. Most of the characters also seemed to fall into stereotypes which might've been a factor for my not caring, but idk I expected more than just this little snapshot of their work that felt more like a magazine you'd find in a video game that does nothing for the story but is just kinda cool and part of an achievement of reading all the comics in it
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A great, short Brubaker Phillips joint. Some incredibly sexy stuff first off. I really liked the future tense talking heads documentary device. The whole story was very soapy, in a great way. I really really enjoyed it all.