Reviews

Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach

Only show reviews with written explanations

shidoburrito's review against another edition

2.0

I got to about page 30 when I started wondering if the book was going to get better. I read the reviews on here that seemed to promise that it wouldn't really pick up. I gave it the ol' 100 page-try, but it wasn't spooky enough for me. Just...humdrum.
At least Penpal was really good!

chethawleyz's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

vilenyx's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ellie918's review

Go to review page

dark medium-paced

4.0

m_lefaye's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Bad Man, by Dathan Auerbach, the story of a young man named Ben who, 6 years prior, lost his little brother while shopping at their local grocer. Fast forward to the present, Ben has graduated high school and with his family struggling financially and emotionally, the now twenty-year-old takes a job as a night stocker at the same grocery store where Eric disappeared. Part necessity, part selfish, Ben continues to search for clues while being tormented by someone, or something, that might know what happened to his little brother. As he works, he pursues his growing suspicions of his boss, his coworkers, and even his own friends, all the while struggling with the feeling that perhaps something is happening beneath the surface, something sinister.
*
This was my second Dathan Auerbach book and I COULD NOT put it down. Atmospheric, claustrophobic, and heartbreaking, Auerbach takes a small Floridian town and twists it into a haunting tale on the impact of guilt and grief. As Ben uncovers more of the past, we see that NOTHING is as it seems and Eric's disappearance was anything but random.
*
I will admit, the curves this story through left me hollow and the ending was "Chefs Kiss" soul-crushing. I needed some major literary palette cleansers, which are my favorite kind of endings. Slightly dry and slow to start, this is a tale that will not disappoint.

5/5

jjaylynny's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Creepy as all get out, subversive in its menace, and then frickin' hearbreaking.

First book I've ever read that led me to google a video on 'supermarket baler'. So there's that....

crowinator's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I have plenty to say about this book but no time in which to say it at the moment. I hope to write more about it, particularly the ending, soon. It had all the hallmarks of a book I would love and yet it left me feeling dissatisfied.

Spoiler

My feelings about that ending are complicated. I love a good dark ending, but for some reason, this one left me lacking that feeling of closure that I expect, even from an ambiguous ending. Not that this one was ambiguous at all - just dark and very sad.