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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting
well that was a pleasant surprise. kind of truman show, kind of wayward pines. i read it in one sitting I wanted to find out what happened. i will read more from this author.
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-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
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
This book was a trip! It’s dark and weird and constantly had me questioning what was real. The premise was unique and I definitely found it to be a compulsive read. The book was split up into several different parts that all came together well in the end. I also found the twist at the end to be both surprising and very thought provoking. It’s hard to say much more about the book without giving anything away. My only issue was that at times the story felt repetitive, but it moves along quickly. So it didn’t take away too much from my overall enjoyment!
The audiobook narration is great! I highly recommend checking out the audiobook! I love strong multi narrator casts!
There’s nothing quite so refreshing as sitting down with a hot cup of coffee, cracking open a new book, and following a protagonist into insanity. Sorry, did I say refreshing? I meant uncomfortably captivating. Reading this novel felt like watching the beginning of a horror movie. You know the type: a classic horror where it’s all sunshine and blue skies, white picket fences and smiling, normal faces. Until that soft lyrical background music starts speeding up, getting louder, more intense, and you’re forced to reconcile that something horrible is about to happen in this perfect, peaceful place. Except, in the horror movie where you’d expect a jump-scare and immediate resolution, you’ll instead have that sense of dread and unease throughout the entirety of The Memory Ward.
Bassoff crafted a psychological novel, while somehow expertly weaving in sci-fi and dystopic elements, and deftly interlacing multiple perspectives and storylines. To say I’m impressed with this novel would be an understatement.
Bassoff crafted a psychological novel, while somehow expertly weaving in sci-fi and dystopic elements, and deftly interlacing multiple perspectives and storylines. To say I’m impressed with this novel would be an understatement.
Well, this was quite an unsettling read, reminiscent of The Stepford Wives , Invasion of the Body Snatchers, or even The Handmaid's Tale. The novel is set in a small Nevada town called Bethlam, which originally served as home for scientists and engineers who worked on nuclear weapons development and testing in the Nevada desert. Now, Bethlam is a sleepy town of only 500 people, but, as Hank tells a neighbor, it's "a place where it's always beautiful" and "there's no place residents would rather be."
Hank is a postman who appears to live a structured, boring life with his wife, Iris, who has her own quirks (she pretends to act in commercials or TV shows in her bedroom when she thinks no one is watching). Iris smotheringly dotes on her husband, and she constantly reminds him of memories they've shared.
Hank has been bothered lately by troubling thoughts that he can't explain. One day on his monotonous delivery route, an envelope falls out of his bag, and Hank is shocked to see that a blank sheet of paper fell out. Perplexed, he opens several other loosely-sealed envelopes, and they also contain blank sheets of paper. Later, when he relates the story to Iris, she is upset and chastises Hank for looking at the contents of the envelope. She is obviously not happy.
Hank begins to have strange and scary dreams, but he can't figure out why. One night, he awakens from a nightmare and is suprised -- but not scared -- to see a young woman's face pressed against the bedroom window. He opens the window and the woman gives him a cryptic message that he should trust no one, including his wife, because "they mean you harm."
I don't want to give away to much, because the reader should experience firsthand the crazy, twisted things that continue to happen. It's a psychological thrill ride, and the idyllic, peaceful world that Hank, Victoria (the woman in the window), and others were used to may not be all that peaceful after all.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Hank is a postman who appears to live a structured, boring life with his wife, Iris, who has her own quirks (she pretends to act in commercials or TV shows in her bedroom when she thinks no one is watching). Iris smotheringly dotes on her husband, and she constantly reminds him of memories they've shared.
Hank has been bothered lately by troubling thoughts that he can't explain. One day on his monotonous delivery route, an envelope falls out of his bag, and Hank is shocked to see that a blank sheet of paper fell out. Perplexed, he opens several other loosely-sealed envelopes, and they also contain blank sheets of paper. Later, when he relates the story to Iris, she is upset and chastises Hank for looking at the contents of the envelope. She is obviously not happy.
Hank begins to have strange and scary dreams, but he can't figure out why. One night, he awakens from a nightmare and is suprised -- but not scared -- to see a young woman's face pressed against the bedroom window. He opens the window and the woman gives him a cryptic message that he should trust no one, including his wife, because "they mean you harm."
I don't want to give away to much, because the reader should experience firsthand the crazy, twisted things that continue to happen. It's a psychological thrill ride, and the idyllic, peaceful world that Hank, Victoria (the woman in the window), and others were used to may not be all that peaceful after all.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review this novel.