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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Willy Vlautin has a wonderfully fresh and naive style which does take a bit of getting used to. While The Night Always Comes follows a conventional chronological structure, he makes some unusual narrative decisions, and for a while I battled against those, until I came to accept them and just enjoy the ride.
First, the story: which in some ways, albeit a different continent and different issues, has an uncanny resemblance to Unsettled Ground. (Willy and I did an online event together around this subject.) Lynette lives with her mother and developmentally disabled brother, Kenny. She struggles to make enough money, saving up so they can buy the house they all live in together. She's made some bad choices in the past and she makes some bad choices in the two days and two nights that the book is set over.
The odd narrative decisions are when back story is told through the dialogue between two characters who already know the back story, or when one character talks for a very long time about what they're thinking, or when Lynette does things - brilliantly described (I love the details around objects especially) - but without any indication of what she's thinking or feeling. So all that was odd, but clearly deliberate.
Still, highly recommended.
First, the story: which in some ways, albeit a different continent and different issues, has an uncanny resemblance to Unsettled Ground. (Willy and I did an online event together around this subject.) Lynette lives with her mother and developmentally disabled brother, Kenny. She struggles to make enough money, saving up so they can buy the house they all live in together. She's made some bad choices in the past and she makes some bad choices in the two days and two nights that the book is set over.
The odd narrative decisions are when back story is told through the dialogue between two characters who already know the back story, or when one character talks for a very long time about what they're thinking, or when Lynette does things - brilliantly described (I love the details around objects especially) - but without any indication of what she's thinking or feeling. So all that was odd, but clearly deliberate.
Still, highly recommended.
Portland feels like one of the main characters in the book. It’s both a cautionary tale of changing Portland and also an ode to the city, warts and all. Places mentioned brought back lots of memories for me. I’ll be thinking of these characters for a while…..
Although very different than [b:Don't Skip Out on Me|35068765|Don't Skip Out on Me|Willy Vlautin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513471840l/35068765._SY75_.jpg|56364193], I loved this Vlautin book, too. It is set in present day Portland and shows a broken protagonist going after her American Dream. The characters are deep and the plot is full of conflict. It's short and just impeccable storytelling.
A heart wrenching, page turning thriller that takes a hard look at the affect gentrification has on average working people. I cared about the characters from the very first pages. Really well done.
This book was given to me as christmas present with a high recommendation from a local Portlander. I started reading it and could not put it down. The characters are excellent, the plot is compelling and the overall tone is captivating. It's truly a page turner but it may not be for everybody's taste, the story line would fit well in a David Lynch movie.
Being very familiar with Portland I appreciated "The Original Hotcake House" as on of the
Being very familiar with Portland I appreciated "The Original Hotcake House" as on of the
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The most overtly fatphobic book I've read in a long while. Disappointing.