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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
The writing style is exhausting for me. I am so sorry.
holyyyyyyfuckwow! i am not one for murder mysteries but this is the best book i have read so far this year! it does read more like an existential thriller tho. tokarczuk’s writing of the protagonist is masterfully diligent, i was blown away by how much she packs into the stream of conscious of our main gal Janina. Janina is unhinged to say the least but i just relate to her so much in some places in the book: her obsession with astrology, her dislike for big crowds, her randomly bursting into tears after interacting with too many dickheads, her daily socio-political existentialisms…i think if i lived without flatmates that this is who i would become. also a fellow vegetarian queen.loved all of the characters having nicknames (very girls group chat coded). the use of language to sort of keep you guessing but also eventually for you to realise the who dunnit was very clever i thought. a perfect one for escapism too, when you’re reading this you’re in rural Poland with nothing but your own thoughts! to me this had everything i love about books and reading
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Quirky mystery! Though I struggled to get through parts of this, I like it more as I reflect on it
🎶 If you'd have been there, if you'd have seen it
I betcha you would have done the same
I betcha you would have done the same
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I saw Pedro Pascal reading Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead so I read Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.
But seriously. I did not expect this book to be such a reflective and peculiar banger. The MC is such an eccentric batshit crazy old astrology studying, animal loving, socially awkward lady but I still love her so much. Her reflections are very childlike and I love how she describes the world around her. I love her very weird (sort of?) friends. I love the prose.
So this is basically John Wick but for literary girlies, right? I honestly love the anti-hunting message and I’m sorry but she was valid for her actions. If a group of freaky ass hunters killed my pet I’d also go scorched earth. She speaks for the trees! Also ACAB ACAB ACAB
But seriously. I did not expect this book to be such a reflective and peculiar banger. The MC is such an eccentric batshit crazy old astrology studying, animal loving, socially awkward lady but I still love her so much. Her reflections are very childlike and I love how she describes the world around her. I love her very weird (sort of?) friends. I love the prose.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
a story that feels both eerily intimate and cosmically vast. Through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, the novel digs deep into questions of morality, justice, and humanity’s place in the natural world.
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
this didn't really land for me as a murder mystery, its much more about the everyday effects of misogyny, how kids get molded by authority, the hypocrisy in religion, and how people treat nature. to be honest, it dragged at times. there were whole stretches where i felt like nothing was really happening and i could’ve skipped ahead without missing much, until the last 40 or so pages where things finally picked up. The big reveal wasnt super shocking, but i still enjoyed seeing the murderer’s perspective, it gave a nice sense of payoff even if it wasn’t a twist. what i actually liked most were the little philosophical reflections and the way astrology shapes how the narrator sees the world, almost obsessively. i'd definitely recommend it more for that side of things than for the mystery.