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3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was too boring - not enough narrative drive to make me want to keep reading.
dark
tense
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
This book was creepy and exhausting. While I was reading it, I felt as frustrated and claustrophobic as Beatriz felt in that God-forsaken island.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It never caught my attention story wise.
Things Bright and Beautiful is a tense and claustrophobic novel set on a South Pacific island. Beatriz accompanies her husband Max, a missionary, to a remote island, where he tries to spread what he thinks is the right religious message amidst strange noises coming from the church and Beatriz has to get used to the jungle climate and lack of food. But just as they seem to have got used to their new surroundings, they suddenly must play host to the old missionary, who hums all the time and takes up a space that both Beatriz and Max grow to resent. When things take a dark turn and Max isn’t the same, Beatriz finds herself desperate and trapped.
The novel starts with their unexpected guest arriving and then uses flashbacks to show how Beatriz, from Venezuela, and Max, an American, ended up on the island and attempted to adjust. This style makes it slightly disorientating in a way that seems to work along with the narrative to show the dangers of religious mania and guilt. Beatriz is an interesting character and she holds the novel together, particularly in relation to the opinions and actions of her husband.
Salam’s novel is an atmospheric look at both a personal crisis and a larger situation. This is a book for readers looking for something that is more about creating atmosphere and central characters than a gripping plot.
The novel starts with their unexpected guest arriving and then uses flashbacks to show how Beatriz, from Venezuela, and Max, an American, ended up on the island and attempted to adjust. This style makes it slightly disorientating in a way that seems to work along with the narrative to show the dangers of religious mania and guilt. Beatriz is an interesting character and she holds the novel together, particularly in relation to the opinions and actions of her husband.
Salam’s novel is an atmospheric look at both a personal crisis and a larger situation. This is a book for readers looking for something that is more about creating atmosphere and central characters than a gripping plot.
Did Not Finish ***
This book sounded really promising and has aspects that I find very interesting. However, I just could not get into the story, nor the characters. It is very very descriptive and while I feel l it sets the mood for certain things, like truly understanding the isolation that Bea is living, I felt ever person, road, animal etc gets explained in huge detail and after awhile I found myself starting to skim the pages and that's when I knew it was time to close the book. I also felt that there was an unnecessary amount of characters being introduced and I cannot help but wonder if all these character do play a part in the story of if they are just "meaningless" people who Bea and Max cross paths with.
Sad that the book was not up to expectations.
This book sounded really promising and has aspects that I find very interesting. However, I just could not get into the story, nor the characters. It is very very descriptive and while I feel l it sets the mood for certain things, like truly understanding the isolation that Bea is living, I felt ever person, road, animal etc gets explained in huge detail and after awhile I found myself starting to skim the pages and that's when I knew it was time to close the book. I also felt that there was an unnecessary amount of characters being introduced and I cannot help but wonder if all these character do play a part in the story of if they are just "meaningless" people who Bea and Max cross paths with.
Sad that the book was not up to expectations.
Hard to believe this is Salam's debut novel. The language is experienced and flawless. Max and Beatriz are a missionary couple who arrive on Advent Island to run the Mission church. The claustrophobic jungle, the natives and the previous pastor make doing so impossible causing Beatriz to worry whether Max is losing his mind. No bright and beautiful things here but a very well written tale. Not for the fainthearted.