Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Searcher by Tana French

7 reviews

mirandap442's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Addiction, Drug abuse, Gore, Blood, Death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol and Cursing

Minor: Suicide

mephala's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I've only read one other book by Tana French - In the Woods - so I'm not sure how the rest of that particular series compares, but it's clear The Searcher is a whole different type of story.

It's a slow burn, almost solely a character study not only of the main protagonist, Cal Hooper, but also the tightknit community of Ardnakelty, a small village in rural Ireland. This is not a fast paced thriller full of twist and turns that keeps one on one's toes, but a slow dive into dense and treacherous inner workings of a small community, that on surface might appear quite and almost innocent, but hides a dark and harsh underbelly.

The Searcher (a very apt title) is a story of a stranger in strange land, Cal, looking for his place in a new country - among people seemingly not that different that himself, but foreign all the same - all while trying to solve a disappearance of one of Ardnakelty's more troubled denizen.

Yes, the first couple of chapter of this one were a little difficult to read through. The plot unfolds slowly, there are many lengthy inner monologues and dense dialogs of characters just talking, "shooting the breeze". It was a good way to establish main characters and most important players in the story, yet it felt too much at times.

After the plot unfolds a little there's still no groundbreaking developments - the mystery culminates in pretty much expected way - although, there is one pretty amazing plot twist that made me like main characters all that much.

This in not really a murder mystery, a whodunit, but uses that particular plot to tell a slow paced but fascinating story about... people. About a small community, its members, and how all those people work and live together. How many secrets they share. 

What's more, the book's atmosphere is wonderful; Tana French masterfully described the gloomy, silent landscapes, and the always present slightly threatening quietness. Because Ardnakelty might be quite, but it's definitely not a peaceful place.

It took a while for this book to drew me in, but it the end it was well crafted story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence and Physical abuse

Minor: Addiction and Suicide

noshelf_control's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Violence

amcghig's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Minor: Addiction, Suicide, and Violence

readerette's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I've never read anything else by Tana French, but based on this book, I would read more of her work. This book was slow, which I usually don't enjoy as much, but it felt an appropriate pace given the pace of life in the little town. I'm not sure how believable it is that someone who was a law enforcement officer, even a disenchanted one, would allow what he found out to go unreported or would stay in a community where that had occurred, but I can forgive that stretch by the author. Bit too much in the weeds about the sanding and shopping for me, but otherwise I liked how the characters fit together even when they seemed they shouldn't, and I could definitely feel the setting come alive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, and Physical abuse

Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Car accident, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Medical content

bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

3.75

This was atmospheric and suspenseful and showcased a distinctive cast of characters. I tore through it in a night -- a testament, I think, to how captivating French's writing is.

Related: I think often about our collective engagement with crime novels because the genre's success often relies on a binary sense of justice and the unchecked necessity of policing. What is a thriller in an abolitionist world? It's a question I don't have an immediate answer for, but I really appreciate how French doesn't shy away from it altogether.

Excited to check out her backlist of works!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Cursing

Minor: Police brutality and Suicide

haleyapratt's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Racism, Suicide, and Xenophobia