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A surprisingly strong mystery all the way through. I’m usually disappointed halfway through these kinds of thrillers, but this was a book I finished super quickly. Jewell writes dialogue very well, which I personally find to be the most unforgiving part of fiction writing. The audiobook cast was phenomenal and the story had me hooked. The ending doesn’t tie everything up super nicely, but I kind of enjoy that. There’s still questions, but not enough to feel like a plot hole or cop out, imo. I found it interesting how Jewell painted each character—flawed, and often very dysfunctional yet on the surface restrained. My main gripe is that I wish there was more discussion of how predatory and disgusting Walter was. The fact that Jewell paints him as a good father seems to negate the fact that he pursued a literal teenager when he was 40, and even if that teenager was mentally ill (re: sociopathic), it still is predatory. I just wish Jewell had set that tone very clearly but seemed to skirt around it a bit in the end. Josie’s actions can be so clearly tied to trauma, so it’s hard to see her as the villain when Walter and her mother are really the villains of the story. Josie isn’t at all off the hook for her behaviors, but why would we not look at the root causes of those behaviors rather than glorifying an abusive predator? Some unrealistic parts for sure, but it’s a story. The birthday twin thing wasn’t necessary in my opinion but I do get why that’s how it started. Overall very good plot and characters with some flawed approaches to themes.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I listen to the audio. The cast of readers and music was excellent.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I tried. I might come back to this one as a book. The audio was just a soothing noise in the background; it made me zone out instead of pay attention.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
A very engaging read that switches between modern narrative and a flash-forward, classic plot-style and podcast-interview snippets. I thought the characters were well-written and the only part I didn't like was the all-too-present theme of G/SR in books nowadays...anyway! Great book.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Murder
The whole Walter reveal is pretty goddamn stupid. Trying to paint Josie as the wrong one in that scenario is crazy.