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3.13 AVERAGE
3.13 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
mysterious
tense
fast-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
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We've all experienced, either directly or indirectly, those neighbors. The ones who don't fit in with the rest of the neighborhood. Maybe they throw too many loud parties, or don't take care of their lawns, or take up too many parking spaces on the street - whatever the reason, they are a source of hostility to their neighbors. Those People throws in all and sundry to the new residents on Lowland Way to create plenty of hostility for the rest of the street - something that went over the top for me. Darren and Jodie were everything quiet little streets don't want in a neighbor and then some, so much so that they were almost caricature-like. But that's okay, we aren't really supposed to like them. In fact, I'm not sure that we're meant to like any of this story's characters. I certainly didn't. In the end, I wasn't sure if anyone was really meant to be the good guy. However, I could've been okay with that, and here I'll add that I did like the format for this one. It bounces between characters as we get what's going on now along with what led up to it. The problem is that the story is way too slow and the twists just aren't that twisty. I felt like the author was so focused on showing all the flaws in these characters that she forgot to leave any surprises when it was time for those twists. Most people would never consider going to the extreme lengths that these did, but considering what we're told about them from the beginning, I wasn't at all surprised with the way it played out in the end. Maybe it's just me, or maybe I expected too much, but I spent most of this book wanting someone, any one of these characters, to really surprise me and it just didn't happen.
Those People is equal parts mystery, suspense thriller, and character study, a perfect mix of sensational tragedy and blunt realism. The events that transpire are of the sort that make people say, "I just never thought it would happen here" - and that's the point. They're unlikely, and horrific, but far from impossible.
There's a large cast at play in this book, including at least seven main characters, four of whom frequently lead the narrative perspective. None of these characters are especially likable, and many of them are even loathe-able. There is no clear protagonist, and readers will often question which side of the central conflict is the morally superior one. The complex ensemble and varying viewpoints make for an intricate, in depth story that's brilliantly evaluated from multiple angles.
Those People closely follows the themes of Our House, Candlish's most popular work: idealized domestic life, picture perfect residential neighborhoods, and carefully designed personas that cater to outside opinions. The books explore these concepts in similar ways, through a series of crimes that slowly unravel the picture-perfect image. In each of them, the prototypical idyllic suburb is deconstructed and exposed through parallel characterization and symbolism. Though the two stories have very different plots, the overlap in motif and structure caused them to blend together as I was reading. The themes addressed are interesting and certainly warrant further discussion, and Those People does provide some new perspective on the topic, but I had hoped for more variation overall.
Read the rest of this review at https://www.goldilocksreviews.com
There's a large cast at play in this book, including at least seven main characters, four of whom frequently lead the narrative perspective. None of these characters are especially likable, and many of them are even loathe-able. There is no clear protagonist, and readers will often question which side of the central conflict is the morally superior one. The complex ensemble and varying viewpoints make for an intricate, in depth story that's brilliantly evaluated from multiple angles.
Those People closely follows the themes of Our House, Candlish's most popular work: idealized domestic life, picture perfect residential neighborhoods, and carefully designed personas that cater to outside opinions. The books explore these concepts in similar ways, through a series of crimes that slowly unravel the picture-perfect image. In each of them, the prototypical idyllic suburb is deconstructed and exposed through parallel characterization and symbolism. Though the two stories have very different plots, the overlap in motif and structure caused them to blend together as I was reading. The themes addressed are interesting and certainly warrant further discussion, and Those People does provide some new perspective on the topic, but I had hoped for more variation overall.
Read the rest of this review at https://www.goldilocksreviews.com
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Having read Our House by Louise Candlish last year I jumped at the chance to read Those People. And happy to say that it lived up to expectations. There are some questionable characters here, and not only the one that the book is focused on. I loved the way it is written in short chapters for multiple residents points of view and the start of the book goes back to weeks before the turning point. It is a very easy, quick read and is absolutely a book I recommend.
Welcome to Lowland Way - a quiet street where all the neighbours get along, they close the road every Sunday so the kids can play and a nice place to live. That is until one of the neighbours dies and her nephew Darren Booth moves into number 1. From the very start he does little to fit into the aesthetic of the area - working on old cars, putting up scaffolding and renovating loudly, playing loud metal music until all hours. The neighbours try to reason with him but he does not wants anything to do with it, going about his business without care for anybody else. When there is a death on his property the neighbours immediately believe Darren is to blame - but the police do not agree. This is where the true characters of the street come out.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
Welcome to Lowland Way - a quiet street where all the neighbours get along, they close the road every Sunday so the kids can play and a nice place to live. That is until one of the neighbours dies and her nephew Darren Booth moves into number 1. From the very start he does little to fit into the aesthetic of the area - working on old cars, putting up scaffolding and renovating loudly, playing loud metal music until all hours. The neighbours try to reason with him but he does not wants anything to do with it, going about his business without care for anybody else. When there is a death on his property the neighbours immediately believe Darren is to blame - but the police do not agree. This is where the true characters of the street come out.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
