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dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This book wrecked me. Entirely and absolutely.
It's the slowest paced thriller I've ever read, but the short chapters paired with a writing style that leaves you guessing did add a certain level of thrill.
I loved the complex, flawed characters and their relationships with one another. It's a heartbreaking but beautiful story. Many plot twists, some of which I really didn't see coming.
There's a lot going on in this book--maybe a little too much, maybe it's longer than it needed to be--but overall, it was a captivating and moving read.
It's the slowest paced thriller I've ever read, but the short chapters paired with a writing style that leaves you guessing did add a certain level of thrill.
I loved the complex, flawed characters and their relationships with one another. It's a heartbreaking but beautiful story. Many plot twists, some of which I really didn't see coming.
There's a lot going on in this book--maybe a little too much, maybe it's longer than it needed to be--but overall, it was a captivating and moving read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Suicide
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Kidnapping, Abortion, Murder
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A sprawling serial killer chase that spans decades. The story comes through large breaks in time and bite-sized chapters (261 in all). Fairly entertaining, but for me the driving plot and character development both fell flat. For instance, only one of the 261 chapters passes the Bechdel test — despite the fact that the great majority of characters in the book that surround Patch (our main character) are women. Additionally, Marty Tombs’ “crime” felt obvious from the first time Saint spotted him with blood on his hands, but we still had to wait 20 years and dozens of chapters for our cast of characters (who are theoretically brilliant) to put the pieces together.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Violence, Abortion, Murder
Minor: Incest, Suicide
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Torn about how to review this beautiful but SO very long book.
Around 50-70% dragged for me, and I wished the book was not 15 hours/261 chapters, but it did play out that all the information we’d been given was circled back to eventually. With 200 or so fewer pages, this would’ve been a contender for best book of my year.
I saw someone compare this to Lessons in Chemistry which I would say is highly inaccurate. It was 1/4 part thriller, 3/4 part literary fiction.
“Do something meaningful, or maybe just mean everything you do”
Around 50-70% dragged for me, and I wished the book was not 15 hours/261 chapters, but it did play out that all the information we’d been given was circled back to eventually. With 200 or so fewer pages, this would’ve been a contender for best book of my year.
I saw someone compare this to Lessons in Chemistry which I would say is highly inaccurate. It was 1/4 part thriller, 3/4 part literary fiction.
“Do something meaningful, or maybe just mean everything you do”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Abortion
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Stalking