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126 reviews for:
The Catch: The long-awaited debut novel from award-winning writer, Yrsa Daley-Ward
Yrsa Daley-Ward
3.65 AVERAGE
126 reviews for:
The Catch: The long-awaited debut novel from award-winning writer, Yrsa Daley-Ward
Yrsa Daley-Ward
3.65 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I was captivated throughout but also entirely lost whilst reading this. The prose clearly illustrates Daley-Ward's poetic style and was absolutely stunning in several places but like a poem I felt like half the time I had absolutely no clue what was going on.
Both Clara and Dempsey were proven to be unreliable narrators and their narration as well as their actions didn't seem to fit with that of a 30-year old. Their narration did create a sort of "twisted sisters" atmosphere that helped to keep the story murky and unclear which, once you realise there is also a theme of mental illness starts to make more sense.
Personally, I don't think the blurb does this book justice. The main plot points were there but the actual novel itself had so much more going on and wasn't at all what I expected. I will definitely return to this in the hopes that a re-read might help me spot things I missed in the first read and make more sense of some of the more confusing elements of the time travel storyline.
Thanks to Netgalley and the published for the ARC and audiobook ARC. All opinions are my own.
Both Clara and Dempsey were proven to be unreliable narrators and their narration as well as their actions didn't seem to fit with that of a 30-year old. Their narration did create a sort of "twisted sisters" atmosphere that helped to keep the story murky and unclear which, once you realise there is also a theme of mental illness starts to make more sense.
Personally, I don't think the blurb does this book justice. The main plot points were there but the actual novel itself had so much more going on and wasn't at all what I expected. I will definitely return to this in the hopes that a re-read might help me spot things I missed in the first read and make more sense of some of the more confusing elements of the time travel storyline.
Thanks to Netgalley and the published for the ARC and audiobook ARC. All opinions are my own.
adventurous
funny
medium-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
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, author Yrsa Daley-Ward, and W. W. Norton & Company: Liveright for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
Unfortunately, The Catch did not quite work for me. I'm not sure if it's simply a personal preference or an overall issue with the book itself. This book is extremely obscure and unlike anything I've read, which I commend Daley-Ward for. It is a unique story that has very compelling themes and sections that did work throughout, such as the relationship between Clara and Dempsey, their upbringings, and their connections to their mother. Her characters were very vivid, and I felt that they were individuals that maybe I don't know per se but could envision seeing around or meeting. With that being said, the compelling characters and ideas were not quite enough to make the book make sense for me. This was an extremely confusing read where I was never quite sure what was happening. I hadn't seen this marketed as magical realism, so once there started to be mystical elements, I was caught off guard. Even upon finishing, I wasn't sure what parts of the book I read were "real" and which ones were in the minds of Clara and Dempsey, which is maybe the point! I appreciated having such unreliable narrators, as I do enjoy books in that sub-genre, but the descent into madness felt a bit too slippery at times between the girls. There was never a direct answer found or given about what was real (or maybe I missed it), which left me unsatisfied at the end. I think this would be a read that I would have to revisit in the future to make full sense of, but I'm not sure I enjoyed it enough to feel compelled to do that. I would be intrigued to check out future works by Daley-Ward, but if you are interested in this one, just know that the plot is not always clear and there are mystical elements.
Unfortunately, The Catch did not quite work for me. I'm not sure if it's simply a personal preference or an overall issue with the book itself. This book is extremely obscure and unlike anything I've read, which I commend Daley-Ward for. It is a unique story that has very compelling themes and sections that did work throughout, such as the relationship between Clara and Dempsey, their upbringings, and their connections to their mother. Her characters were very vivid, and I felt that they were individuals that maybe I don't know per se but could envision seeing around or meeting. With that being said, the compelling characters and ideas were not quite enough to make the book make sense for me. This was an extremely confusing read where I was never quite sure what was happening. I hadn't seen this marketed as magical realism, so once there started to be mystical elements, I was caught off guard. Even upon finishing, I wasn't sure what parts of the book I read were "real" and which ones were in the minds of Clara and Dempsey, which is maybe the point! I appreciated having such unreliable narrators, as I do enjoy books in that sub-genre, but the descent into madness felt a bit too slippery at times between the girls. There was never a direct answer found or given about what was real (or maybe I missed it), which left me unsatisfied at the end. I think this would be a read that I would have to revisit in the future to make full sense of, but I'm not sure I enjoyed it enough to feel compelled to do that. I would be intrigued to check out future works by Daley-Ward, but if you are interested in this one, just know that the plot is not always clear and there are mystical elements.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
This is an esoteric novel that will be loved by some readers; unfortunately, I am not one of them.
Clara and Dempsey are 30-year-old twin sisters abandoned by their mother who presumably drowned in the Thames River. The girls were adopted separately and lived very different lives. Though they have reconnected, theirs is a difficult relationship. One day Clara sees a woman who looks exactly like their birth mother and even has her name, Serene Marie Nkem Droste, though she is the same age as the twins. Clara and Serene form an intense relationship, but Dempsey is skeptical and suspects Serene is a con artist. To complicate matters, Clara is a celebrity author who has written an autofiction book which she describes as “’a terrible tale about my mother, as though she told it to me herself.’” The book casts Serene “as some kind of witch-like siren from a bad part of town who cons everyone with her looks and ends up causing disaster.”
Both Clara and Dempsey are narrators in alternating chapters. Both are unreliable because both struggle with addiction and trauma which cloud their judgments. Each admits to hating her twin so comments need to be filtered by the reader. A couple of times, one sister narrates her version of a past event and then the subsequent chapter gives the other sister’s memory which may be contradictory. So what is the truth? Chapters of Clara’s novel are included as well; they add to the confusion because events in the book seem to mirror what is happening to Serene in the present. So what is going on?!
The writing style will catch the reader’s attention. Clara speaks about her body in an interesting way: “holding the head that is on my body” and “The body of mine gets into the car. The body of mine takes its trembling hands” and “These legs go to cross the road anyway.” Then there’s the imagery; the colour orange is mentioned 22 times. There are 46 references to “blue” though sometimes the word refers to colour and sometimes to mood. Olfactory imagery abounds: “vetiver-and-smoke scent” and “night-old brandy smell” and “smelling of geranium and patchouli” and “hints of musty river water.” Tactile imagery is also noticeable: “scaly skin” and “itchy rash.” It is the lyrical prose that most impressed me.
Much of the time it is difficult to understand what is real and what is imaginary. Confusion is compounded by references to shapeshifting and time travel, a character not belonging on this planet, a character feeling as if she is not real, and a character feeling like she is disappearing. There’s often a strange dream-like quality which is disorienting. Magic realism with its blurring of reality and fantasy is not a style I always enjoy.
To be perfectly honest, I struggled to keep reading. Pace at the beginning is slow, and because the characters are untrustworthy, they are unlikeable. I had problems connecting with anyone. There are poignant moments emphasizing “Not everyone gets a chance to have a mother, and life isn’t fair. You lose parts of your insides when you lose a mother.” However, these moments were not enough to overcome the disorientation I felt.
Though the writing style is descriptive and engaging, The Catch did not really catch me.
Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company | Liveright and Netgalley for an digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
While The Catch will not be everyone's preference or liking, I was hooked by it's unreliable narrators, winding timeline, and beautiful prose. Yrsa Daley-Ward did an incredible job weaving everything together.
There's a lot about the book that leaves the reader confused—who to trust, what is happening, *can* this be happening? But the through-line through all of this is Daley-Ward's steady hand. There was intention on every page, with every word choice. Even when I was trying to figure out what the hell was happening, I knew that there was a purpose.
The lyricism is Daley-Ward's writing is nothing short of beautiful. She is able to find the most human and uncomfortable adjectives in one sentence and have the most poetic line in the next.
It does drag a little bit in the middle, gets a bit muddied. But I find it has a strong ending. If you're someone who doesn't like vague endings—this will not be the book for you. But if you're open to exploring the "what-ifs," I highly recommend The Catch,
While The Catch will not be everyone's preference or liking, I was hooked by it's unreliable narrators, winding timeline, and beautiful prose. Yrsa Daley-Ward did an incredible job weaving everything together.
There's a lot about the book that leaves the reader confused—who to trust, what is happening, *can* this be happening? But the through-line through all of this is Daley-Ward's steady hand. There was intention on every page, with every word choice. Even when I was trying to figure out what the hell was happening, I knew that there was a purpose.
The lyricism is Daley-Ward's writing is nothing short of beautiful. She is able to find the most human and uncomfortable adjectives in one sentence and have the most poetic line in the next.
It does drag a little bit in the middle, gets a bit muddied. But I find it has a strong ending. If you're someone who doesn't like vague endings—this will not be the book for you. But if you're open to exploring the "what-ifs," I highly recommend The Catch,