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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
Caroline Kepnes knocked it out of the park with a follow up to books that are already a huge hit. Completely different from You and HB, Providence hooks you from the start, and then it's like, wait, what genre am I reading? Science fiction? But even though there's this mysterious "power", she never really goes THERE. It's still a book about people, about character and love and life and relationships.
At first I was annoyed, reading the "x years later" all the time. Just when I would really get into it, she would cut me off, no access to the characters, jump ahead, not worth it. It eventually steadied out to being an adult book about adults, not teenagers. The beauty of Caroline Kepnes is how she writes monsters. There's Joe, the monster who doesn't realize he is one, and now Jon, separate by one letter, the monster who never wished to be one. The constant Lovecraft, how she even spells out her analogies, and it's never pretentious. And then she ropes in Chloe herself as being a "parasitic vampire", and we get it, we get their sameness, their connection, their need for one another. Somewhere in the absurdity of this story is such reality. All these characters are pieces of my own past, and they are so believable and each relatable in their own ways.
I love Kepnes' writing style, the details she chooses to write as important. I love how mundane things become so profound, how she picks at things, and then somehow she jumps in with the urgency, where it comes and comes and comes at you right until the halt of the climax. She did that frequently in You and HB, and I love that that wasn't just Joe's narration style; it's HER writing style. The pace of the book constantly changes, keeps you on your toes. Everything plays out so dramatically and with intention. Her words carefully chosen.
Thankful for an epilogue that gives actual closure after the rush to the finish. The characters' future may be a bit ambiguous, but Jon is a not a Wilbur, which gives me the peace I needed after wrestling with what makes a monster and is there a monster in us all.
At first I was annoyed, reading the "x years later" all the time. Just when I would really get into it, she would cut me off, no access to the characters, jump ahead, not worth it. It eventually steadied out to being an adult book about adults, not teenagers. The beauty of Caroline Kepnes is how she writes monsters. There's Joe, the monster who doesn't realize he is one, and now Jon, separate by one letter, the monster who never wished to be one. The constant Lovecraft, how she even spells out her analogies, and it's never pretentious. And then she ropes in Chloe herself as being a "parasitic vampire", and we get it, we get their sameness, their connection, their need for one another. Somewhere in the absurdity of this story is such reality. All these characters are pieces of my own past, and they are so believable and each relatable in their own ways.
I love Kepnes' writing style, the details she chooses to write as important. I love how mundane things become so profound, how she picks at things, and then somehow she jumps in with the urgency, where it comes and comes and comes at you right until the halt of the climax. She did that frequently in You and HB, and I love that that wasn't just Joe's narration style; it's HER writing style. The pace of the book constantly changes, keeps you on your toes. Everything plays out so dramatically and with intention. Her words carefully chosen.
Thankful for an epilogue that gives actual closure after the rush to the finish. The characters' future may be a bit ambiguous, but Jon is a not a Wilbur, which gives me the peace I needed after wrestling with what makes a monster and is there a monster in us all.
The description of Providence as "part love story, part detective story, and part supernatural thriller" is apt. It is a tale about unconditional, unrequited love; a detective who is determined to solve a mystery and in the process finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew; and a "what if?" exploration about the results science might produce.
When the story opens, Jon and Chloe are growing up in a small New Hampshire town, Chloe is beautiful and popular. Jon is a bit of a nerd who gets bullied at school. But the unlikely twosome are the best of friends.
One morning Jon takes a remote route to school in order to avoid being confronted by a group of bullies led by the most popular boy at school. But he never arrives at school. He vanishes and the desperate search for him is futile. Eventually, Chloe gives up hope that Jon will be found, and carries on with her life. Her popularity at school does not wane, especially since she ends up dating the very boy who taunted Jon.
Four years after he disappeared, Jon awakens. He has no memory of those years and has physically transformed. He has grown and is strong. His abductor is gone, but left him a cryptic note. And Jon realizes that he is not far from home.
When he returns, his parents are elated, of course, and he desperately wants to renew his relationship with Chloe. But he is horrified to learn that in the time he has been away he has developed a mysterious power to bring harm to others. And those he loves are not immune. He cannot control that power or alter its outcome so he dares not be near Chloe.
Living in self-imposed exile in Rhode Island, Jon supports himself by delivering papers and performing other work that doesn't require him to interact with others he cares about. He tries to get close to someone new . . . with disastrous results.
Jon decides to put his power to use delivering justice to those who deserve it which brings him to the attention of Detective Charles “Eggs” DeBenedictus. Eggs is a dedicated investigator who tends to get himself into hot water with his superiors because of his determination to follow up on clues that don't seem relevant to his fellow officers. He thinks he is on the trail of a serial killer, but the profile doesn't quit fit. Meanwhile, Eggs has a troubled home life. His wife wants him to take care of himself by undergoing his annual physical examination. She also wants him to accompany her to visit their severely autistic son who resides in a care facility. Eggs avoids doing either one as he becomes increasingly obsessed with the case.
Meanwhile, Chloe becomes a successful artist who specializes in painting the eyes of the boy who still haunts her. She plans to marry her high school boyfriend, moving into his luxurious apartment with him. But she can't forget Jon, especially since he occasionally is unable to resist the urge to communicate with her.
Providence is an inventively unique story about a bond between two people that defies description and all attempts to sever it. It is a tale about a young man who loses four years of his life through no fault of his own and, upon learning that he has acquired a power he neither wants nor can control, just wants to resume leading a normal life. It is an exploration of the impact Jon's transformation has upon everyone he loves -- even though they don't know about the strange power he possesses. Kepnes has woven a nuanced, complex story about loyalty, trusting one's instincts about another person's spirit, and the lengths to which we are willing to go in order to maintain relationships that bring meaning to our lives and make us feel better about ourselves. It is an entertaining and heart-breaking story that readers will ponder long after reading the last page.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
When the story opens, Jon and Chloe are growing up in a small New Hampshire town, Chloe is beautiful and popular. Jon is a bit of a nerd who gets bullied at school. But the unlikely twosome are the best of friends.
One morning Jon takes a remote route to school in order to avoid being confronted by a group of bullies led by the most popular boy at school. But he never arrives at school. He vanishes and the desperate search for him is futile. Eventually, Chloe gives up hope that Jon will be found, and carries on with her life. Her popularity at school does not wane, especially since she ends up dating the very boy who taunted Jon.
Four years after he disappeared, Jon awakens. He has no memory of those years and has physically transformed. He has grown and is strong. His abductor is gone, but left him a cryptic note. And Jon realizes that he is not far from home.
When he returns, his parents are elated, of course, and he desperately wants to renew his relationship with Chloe. But he is horrified to learn that in the time he has been away he has developed a mysterious power to bring harm to others. And those he loves are not immune. He cannot control that power or alter its outcome so he dares not be near Chloe.
Living in self-imposed exile in Rhode Island, Jon supports himself by delivering papers and performing other work that doesn't require him to interact with others he cares about. He tries to get close to someone new . . . with disastrous results.
Jon decides to put his power to use delivering justice to those who deserve it which brings him to the attention of Detective Charles “Eggs” DeBenedictus. Eggs is a dedicated investigator who tends to get himself into hot water with his superiors because of his determination to follow up on clues that don't seem relevant to his fellow officers. He thinks he is on the trail of a serial killer, but the profile doesn't quit fit. Meanwhile, Eggs has a troubled home life. His wife wants him to take care of himself by undergoing his annual physical examination. She also wants him to accompany her to visit their severely autistic son who resides in a care facility. Eggs avoids doing either one as he becomes increasingly obsessed with the case.
Meanwhile, Chloe becomes a successful artist who specializes in painting the eyes of the boy who still haunts her. She plans to marry her high school boyfriend, moving into his luxurious apartment with him. But she can't forget Jon, especially since he occasionally is unable to resist the urge to communicate with her.
Providence is an inventively unique story about a bond between two people that defies description and all attempts to sever it. It is a tale about a young man who loses four years of his life through no fault of his own and, upon learning that he has acquired a power he neither wants nor can control, just wants to resume leading a normal life. It is an exploration of the impact Jon's transformation has upon everyone he loves -- even though they don't know about the strange power he possesses. Kepnes has woven a nuanced, complex story about loyalty, trusting one's instincts about another person's spirit, and the lengths to which we are willing to go in order to maintain relationships that bring meaning to our lives and make us feel better about ourselves. It is an entertaining and heart-breaking story that readers will ponder long after reading the last page.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5
I have to hand it to Kepnes the plot of this book hooked me from page one. I enjoyed the characters, and the pacing was mostly great. I did have a couple issues with this though; mainly the supernatural/paranormal elements felt underdeveloped to me, and I felt like “eggs” had more page time than we needed to keep the story moving smoothly. This is twisty, dark and surprisingly sweet.
I have to hand it to Kepnes the plot of this book hooked me from page one. I enjoyed the characters, and the pacing was mostly great. I did have a couple issues with this though; mainly the supernatural/paranormal elements felt underdeveloped to me, and I felt like “eggs” had more page time than we needed to keep the story moving smoothly. This is twisty, dark and surprisingly sweet.
Marking as read for future reference and I'm in a reading slump but this still is a hard dnf for me. I made it 21% into the audiobook and I honestly can't believe that this was written by Caroline Kepnes because it's so boring and horribly written and just so.. removed from the story somehow. The characters are all not only unrealistic but also uninteresting beyond belief. The storyline feels really convoluted even though it's pretty straightforward because literally nothing happens. A main character is kidnapped and it's just boring. The other main character kind of loses her mind and it felt performative and unrealistic. The kidnapped boy returns and again it's extremely boring, nothing happens, no one is affected, even he somehow doesn't care about having been abducted.
I was listening on 2x speed but it felt as though I was listening on 0.5x because it just dragged so much.
I was listening on 2x speed but it felt as though I was listening on 0.5x because it just dragged so much.
The explanation for how the main character got his "ability" was never properly explained in a way that would be believable. The entire story seemed forced.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Absolutely adore Jon. He is sweet and I love him. This book got me back into reading and I love this story. I totally recommend it!!!
Kepnes sure writes a great character study. I could picture so much of what she wrote in my mind. I wasn't as 'outraged' (in a good way) as I was with You and Hidden Bodies (where I had to read sections out to my husband) but I still had to talk about the book as I read. I didn't get all the answers I needed though, so it's a 4 star instead of 5.
I was very disappointed with this one. There were so many (SO MANY!!!) comma splices that I had a hard time even reading it. The sentences were short and choppy, and for lack of a better term, basic. I couldn't differentiate between all of the characters' voices because they didn't have well developed personalities. They came across as flat, until over half way through, and then I felt like they were actually substantial characters, each with their own obsessions. But still overall bland. Each character narrates in the same comma-spliced "series of thoughts" and I could not stand it. Even the minor characters do it.
Between the switching POV, the multiple time-jumps, and the choppy structure, this whole book felt very rushed. I finished it just to give the unique concept a chance, and I'm glad I did because the story itself turned out to be very interesting, and near the ending, quite suspenseful. I would read a sequel, but I'd be annoyed with Kepnes' writing style the entire time.
Between the switching POV, the multiple time-jumps, and the choppy structure, this whole book felt very rushed. I finished it just to give the unique concept a chance, and I'm glad I did because the story itself turned out to be very interesting, and near the ending, quite suspenseful. I would read a sequel, but I'd be annoyed with Kepnes' writing style the entire time.
3.5 stars. If only Kepnes would have provided a resolution, a cliffhanger, anything but a continuation of the bleakness. This story needed saving and it never happened. What the hell was wrong with Jon? And how did Roger “fix” him? These holes, in addition to the unrequited relationship of Chloe and Jon, really sucks the hope out of this book.