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challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
I was very disappointed in this book. I felt it was very disjointed and did not flow well. The story revolves around three families, living on the same block In California. Ray was a famous writer who now spends his time alone. Mary Sue and Kate are mother and daughter with a strained relationship. That leaves the Korean-American family, a mother and two daughters, Mira and Rosemary. I found the daughters disrespectful and certainly not likable. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.
Lurkers is one of those character driven novels where there is no plot. I'm personally not a fan of those so this didn't work for me. There are some very dark topics explored in this but also it just sex at some parts and I could care less. This book just wasn't for me. It reminded me a little of Cobble Hill where it's about people's lives. Thank you so much to Soho Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Sandi Tans award winning autobiographical documentary Shirkers which investigates the mystery of stolen film footage, betrayal of trust and coming of age. So I was intrigued to find out about her writing style and how the clear voice that comes through on the screen transmutes to the page.
The book is set in suburban Los Angeles on the whimsically named Santa Claus Lane and here we meet a disparate cast of characters. We begin with the Park family who are South Korean immigrants, Mr Park dies by suicide and leads his family to find a collection of short stories which are in the "so bad they are good" mould. We meet Mary-Sue and adopted daughter Kate (brought from Vietnam) who seems unable to reconcile her life with her Vietnamese roots and then there is Raymond a lonely horror novelist coming to terms with suburbia.
We then have a trio of male characters who quite frankly I detested, Bluto a brooding, unhealthy presence lurking in Kate's life, Mr.Zehring drama teacher with a penchant for the young and nubile, and Arik a manipulative, violent boyfirend.
The book was gripping but for me an uncomfortable read given the portrayal of mens manipulation of women. I know some readers found the sex, swearing and violence not to their tastes but all I can say is that I didn't find any of this gratuitous. It is a novel about people, place and consistent with it's setting in the early 2000s.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC, all views are my own.
The book is set in suburban Los Angeles on the whimsically named Santa Claus Lane and here we meet a disparate cast of characters. We begin with the Park family who are South Korean immigrants, Mr Park dies by suicide and leads his family to find a collection of short stories which are in the "so bad they are good" mould. We meet Mary-Sue and adopted daughter Kate (brought from Vietnam) who seems unable to reconcile her life with her Vietnamese roots and then there is Raymond a lonely horror novelist coming to terms with suburbia.
We then have a trio of male characters who quite frankly I detested, Bluto a brooding, unhealthy presence lurking in Kate's life, Mr.Zehring drama teacher with a penchant for the young and nubile, and Arik a manipulative, violent boyfirend.
The book was gripping but for me an uncomfortable read given the portrayal of mens manipulation of women. I know some readers found the sex, swearing and violence not to their tastes but all I can say is that I didn't find any of this gratuitous. It is a novel about people, place and consistent with it's setting in the early 2000s.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC, all views are my own.
Guess I'm just not a fan of her storytelling. Wasn't written bad but even though was relatively easy to read I just did not like the story. The characters were ok but the concept of coming of age it says it's about didn't come through to me so ultimately why I rated it low. I did like the different perspectives and highlighting stories I wouldn't have normally known about. That kept me reading but the coming of age got lost as a thread.
2.5 stars, rounded up. For how many characters there were in this book, I didn’t feel an emotional connection to any of them. Many parts of the book were uncomfortable and disturbing. I struggled with the intentional lack of plot and pedophilic/ sexual deviant male characters.
Really enjoyed this novel--I honestly couldn't put it down. The characters were interesting, tragic, and motivated. Really suits my flair for dark humor. There's lots of drama that's quite heartbreaking as well. Impressed by the intricately woven storylines. Author Kevin Kwan (Crazy Rich Asians) is right when he calls the characters "demented" and the book "laugh out loud funny"--and that's not for everyone, but it's definitely for me.
Expect raw stories about deeply-flawed and interesting people mixed in with a hint of supernatural, not a saccharine, sugar-coated fairyland.
Expect raw stories about deeply-flawed and interesting people mixed in with a hint of supernatural, not a saccharine, sugar-coated fairyland.
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Suicide
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes