Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Tripping Arcadia

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Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist

11 reviews

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

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Overall I liked the writing and the characters and the premise. I thought the ending was pretty decent too at the very least it was satisfying enough. I think some of the more sinister feelings/thoughts could have been more amped up especially when it was talking negatively about the rich and the mystery of Jonathan's illness. I think the realization of what his illness was was a bit rushed feeling. I wish there was more focus also on Lena's knowledge/execution of plant knowledge.
I would be willing to check out more from this author in the future even though I didn't love this.

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singalana's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Sorry to say that this book didn’t quite live up to the hype. It had a promising premise and start, but it all fell a bit flat in the end.

Tripping Arcadia is marketed as a gothic novel perfect for fans of Mexican gothic. To be honest, it’s more of a thriller than anything else, apart from a few dreamlike sequences that read a bit like horror.

Being Kit Mayquist’s debut novel, it’s pretty decent, but it suffers some of the problems that are quite typical for debut novels. Our main character, Lena, is a medical school dropout forced to return from Europe to help her parents deal with their financial troubles resulting from her father being injured and laid off. Lena lands a job as an assistant to the family doctor of an extremely wealthy family, helping the doctor deal with the sickly heir to the family company. Soon, Lena discovers the sinister side of the patriarch of the family and decides that he should be taken down a peg.

The main character, Lena, feels a bit basic, and she easily lets other people talk her into things. She also has divided loyalties pretty much throughout the book. Then we have Audrey, the eldest child of the wealthy Verdeau family. Audrey is stylish and easily approachable; Lena is immediately drawn to her. The chronically ill heir to the family fortune, Jonathan spends his days abusing various substances but has a surprisingly poetic side to him. He has his own doctor, Prosenko, to take care of his health. Above everything else is the patriarch, Martin Verdeau.

The writing style was fine, even though it was a bit hard to read at times, especially towards the end. In the action-packed scenes, it felt slightly hard to follow what was happening and who was doing what. Neither the characters nor the prose managed to raise emotions in me.

Now we venture into spoiler territory, so be warned.

The book's first half was interesting because of the wealth dynamics: Lena was looking for any job to pay the bills, and the Verdau’s didn’t have a cash shortage. They also abused their power and wealth in a despicable manner, and when Lena wanted to take them down, I was on board. However, soon, her ill-advised attempt backfired. She found herself drawn deeper into the family and soon became personally involved with Audrey and Jonathan, forgetting her old friends and her family in the process.

At that point, the story shifted from a poor vs. rich narrative to a cat-and-mouse game of poisons. It became less interesting and less believable. Would someone born into wealth take Lena into their confidence like that? Besides, Lena’s attraction to both Audrey and Jonathan was completely unnecessary, and I didn’t buy her chemistry with Jonathan AT ALL. With Audrey, it felt more organic.

The ending was very convoluted and confusing, and the motives, not to mention the methods, were so strange! The whole story behind Jonathan’s illness was completely unbelievable. And whatever happened to Prosenko? If it was mentioned in the book, I completely missed it. I think the “happy ending” didn’t fit the book's tone, especially not the first half.

This book had so much potential but missed the mark for me.

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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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nithya_natalya's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a very fun novel, and once I got into it, moved very quickly. Very dark and bitter, and a satisfying portrayal of the decay beneath the glitz of capitalism and celebrity.

The only reason that I didn't give this five stars is because I wanted it to go further than it did. While the atmosphere and general mood of the novel felt gothic, the climax and resolution didn't feel grisly and tragic and destructive enough. It felt like eat the rich, except we only got the appetizer before the novel was over.

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thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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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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courtney_scott1025's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I read this fairly quickly, because I fell into the story and was sucked in. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, the pacing, the story. My only gripe is that some elements felt rushed, but it didn't make the book less enjoyable. I have read mostly horror, and I wouldn't say this is gory or anything like that. More mystery, but I loved it regardless.

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laketwentytwo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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city_girl_writer's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This was really good. I loved the the gothic imagery of New England, the medical content regarding poisons, the bonds between Lend, Johnathan, and Audrey, etc. My only gripe was the reveals towards the end. I had a hard time piecing everything together. Maybe in a week or so, it would all make sense. Nonetheless, I would recommend this but it's not for everyone.

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caidyn's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-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

4.0

Wow. I went into this book without knowing much of the story, just that someone recommended it who has a good taste in books. Definitely worth it and a very good read. I'm glad I delved into it!

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kumquats87's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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