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yes_smam's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Misogyny
Minor: Abortion, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Pregnancy, Mass/school shootings, Terminal illness, Infidelity, and Gun violence
hellocath's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
a perfect meditation on the disfunction of the ‘justice’ system (particularly with regard to gender based violence and the way white men can get away with anything), #MeToo and the nuance required in examining power dynamics and abuse, the ethics of true crime storytelling, and the way high school has an unmatched and specifically fucked up impact on the psyche no matter how much therapy you go to. suggest this book to the weirdo in your life that doesn’t get why John Tory dating a staffer 30 years his senior is an abuse of power! also I’m not usually a big audiobook fan but this one is excellent; so well-narrated and very engrossing. please join my prayer circle for an Amy Adams screen adaptation starring Gillian Anderson tysm
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Alcohol, Infidelity, Classism, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Self harm, Cancer, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Suicide
leoniekross's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
Recap:
Boarding school crime mystery is a genre I enjoy a lot. In this, Bodie Kane, a successful podcaster, comes back to her old high school under the guise of holding a class about podcasting while sorting through her memories about a murder that took place there her junior year. The investigation was famously botched and Bodie questions whether the real perpetrator is in jail.
The book is divided into 2 parts, the first dealing with her arrival at her old school and creating a podcast with students to explore questions about the case. The second part deals withthe retrial of the convicted suspect . Mixed into the narrative are sections showing flashbacks to Bodie's school days as well as lists of similar, publicly known, often casually brushed aside instances of misogyny and sexism in the American justice system and in the everyday lives of women - often concluding in their murder.
Review:
After reading a few books with the same boarding school setting, I was excited to start this one, hoping it would go heavier on the sleuthing and lighter on the trauma. Well, better luck next time. I wish Makkai had leaned wayyyy more into the detectiving aspect. I wanted old secrets burried in the walls, sneaky interviews with old staff, an actual amateur investigation. What I got was Bodie extensively internally ruminating on what other people had discovered. Throughout, she remained a passive onlooker who gave unimportant, drawn-out context about her peers from back in their school days. That was her whole role in this.
I think the author should have done away with Part 1 entirely and have Bodie be confronted with her old biases and assumptions about people during the court hearing. Her old classmates would have been in town for that, we could have had flashbacks triggered by run-ins w her former peers and we would have gotten a far better sense of their relationships and prejudices against one another. We didn't need Bodie to be at school and walk w her step by step as she inspires a student podcast abt the case. This was so irrelevant and could have easily been background info given in a couple of pages. That way the book would have had a much clearer direction. As is, it feels muddled.
While the writing style is mostly easy and engaging, there is simply too much of it. 100 pages could have been cut easily.
I did like the cast of characters though. Most of them were only superficially explored but they were likable and believable.
The book tried to discuss the issues of crime/punishment/innocence/the court of public opinion by looking at it from a few different angles. And as commendable as that effort is, it bloated the story. The storyline abtBodie's ex husband , for example, added little, had no relevant consequences and only managed to take away from the main plot, thus uncomfortably (unnecessarily) centering white feminism.
I wished there had also been a conclusion to the gimmick of Bodie narrating the whole story to a specific character. Maybe the end would have revealed it was all a podcast episode or a post-court private conversation. But no, there was seemingly no reason other thanto clunkily misdirect the reader's suspicions .
Generally, I was missing a conclusion to some plotlines. But I have a feeling that was a deliberate choice. Many of the plotlines begin somewhere, intertwine, stay for a bit, fade out. Sort of like the book was mimicing how these events go in real life. I enjoyed that when it came to friendships & relationships. Not so much the main story (the court hearing, the misdirect, the actual reveal) though. The endings of those were too open and unfinished for it to be a satisfying read.
Tl;dr:
A mixed bag.
Would recommend for people who enjoy ruminations on their teen years and fucked up high school reunions.
Recap:
Boarding school crime mystery is a genre I enjoy a lot. In this, Bodie Kane, a successful podcaster, comes back to her old high school under the guise of holding a class about podcasting while sorting through her memories about a murder that took place there her junior year. The investigation was famously botched and Bodie questions whether the real perpetrator is in jail.
The book is divided into 2 parts, the first dealing with her arrival at her old school and creating a podcast with students to explore questions about the case. The second part deals with
Review:
After reading a few books with the same boarding school setting, I was excited to start this one, hoping it would go heavier on the sleuthing and lighter on the trauma. Well, better luck next time. I wish Makkai had leaned wayyyy more into the detectiving aspect. I wanted old secrets burried in the walls, sneaky interviews with old staff, an actual amateur investigation. What I got was Bodie extensively internally ruminating on what other people had discovered. Throughout, she remained a passive onlooker who gave unimportant, drawn-out context about her peers from back in their school days. That was her whole role in this.
I think the author should have done away with Part 1 entirely and have Bodie be confronted with her old biases and assumptions about people during the court hearing. Her old classmates would have been in town for that, we could have had flashbacks triggered by run-ins w her former peers and we would have gotten a far better sense of their relationships and prejudices against one another. We didn't need Bodie to be at school and walk w her step by step as she inspires a student podcast abt the case. This was so irrelevant and could have easily been background info given in a couple of pages. That way the book would have had a much clearer direction. As is, it feels muddled.
While the writing style is mostly easy and engaging, there is simply too much of it. 100 pages could have been cut easily.
I did like the cast of characters though. Most of them were only superficially explored but they were likable and believable.
The book tried to discuss the issues of crime/punishment/innocence/the court of public opinion by looking at it from a few different angles. And as commendable as that effort is, it bloated the story. The storyline abt
I wished there had also been a conclusion to the gimmick of Bodie narrating the whole story to a specific character. Maybe the end would have revealed it was all a podcast episode or a post-court private conversation. But no, there was seemingly no reason other than
Generally, I was missing a conclusion to some plotlines. But I have a feeling that was a deliberate choice. Many of the plotlines begin somewhere, intertwine, stay for a bit, fade out. Sort of like the book was mimicing how these events go in real life. I enjoyed that when it came to friendships & relationships. Not so much the main story (the court hearing, the misdirect, the actual reveal) though. The endings of those were too open and unfinished for it to be a satisfying read.
Tl;dr:
A mixed bag.
Would recommend for people who enjoy ruminations on their teen years and fucked up high school reunions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Infidelity, Death, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Child death, and Eating disorder
internationalreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A solid literary thriller that I probably wouldn’t have read if it were not by this author. Uses references to real life crimes against women to get a strong message across. The ending definitely surprised me. I’m not sure I cared that much about any of the characters, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Classism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thanks to Viking Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU is a bit of a "ripped from the headlines" novel, in that discourse about true crime's virtues and flaws is a recurring topic of debate these days. I found this fictional case to be quite compelling, layered as it was with issues of race, class, gender, and more. There's a lot to chew on.
- I didn't attend boarding school, but my college was insular in similar ways to the book's Granby school, which may be why I felt so drawn into this story. The way gossip slowly builds into truth over time rang true to me.
- It does get quite slow and introspective in the middle, but the revelations at the end had my mouth hanging open.
- I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU is a bit of a "ripped from the headlines" novel, in that discourse about true crime's virtues and flaws is a recurring topic of debate these days. I found this fictional case to be quite compelling, layered as it was with issues of race, class, gender, and more. There's a lot to chew on.
- I didn't attend boarding school, but my college was insular in similar ways to the book's Granby school, which may be why I felt so drawn into this story. The way gossip slowly builds into truth over time rang true to me.
- It does get quite slow and introspective in the middle, but the revelations at the end had my mouth hanging open.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Eating disorder, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Sexual violence
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