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2.76 AVERAGE
2.76 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted very badly for this book to be good. I am aware of the vast difference of opinion regarding Eric Larocca's work, and I wanted to believe it was all overblown that it couldn't be that bad. (Also, because I got a few of his short story collections on discount, but not enough of a discount for them to suck, knowwhatimean).
Folks, this book was not good. From the first chapters, I was frustrated and disappointed with all kinds of decisions the author was making. The best way I can describe it is Cringe in an unhelpful way. So many times, I paused my audiobook to rant to no-one, or to simply exclaim "Stupid!" to my empty car. Characters constantly took out-of-pocket or ridiculous steps, accomplishing nothing but inching them towards the contrived conclusion on which the author had already decided.
It wasn't just the plot or the characters – the prose pissed me off at many points as well. Metaphors that sound nice but make no sense, bizarre internal tangents that make NO sense, and an incomprehensible confluence of themes that don't seem to have any coherent connection. Is this book about grief? Hubris? Self-hatred? Homophobia? Mommy issues? Impossible to say.
So many things are included that lead nowhere. One entire narrative string is abruptly dry-erased away in the last act, making me feel like I wasted my time, especially since that was the arc with all the graphic homophobia and SA. Add the fact the villain seemed to dress like satanic Willy Wonka while arousing absolutely zero suspicion in this small suburban town IN THE 90s, and the YouTube-anime-dub performance of the narrator, I did not enjoy one thing about this book. Poo.
Folks, this book was not good. From the first chapters, I was frustrated and disappointed with all kinds of decisions the author was making. The best way I can describe it is Cringe in an unhelpful way. So many times, I paused my audiobook to rant to no-one, or to simply exclaim "Stupid!" to my empty car. Characters constantly took out-of-pocket or ridiculous steps, accomplishing nothing but inching them towards the contrived conclusion on which the author had already decided.
It wasn't just the plot or the characters – the prose pissed me off at many points as well. Metaphors that sound nice but make no sense, bizarre internal tangents that make NO sense, and an incomprehensible confluence of themes that don't seem to have any coherent connection. Is this book about grief? Hubris? Self-hatred? Homophobia? Mommy issues? Impossible to say.
So many things are included that lead nowhere. One entire narrative string is abruptly dry-erased away in the last act, making me feel like I wasted my time, especially since that was the arc with all the graphic homophobia and SA. Add the fact the villain seemed to dress like satanic Willy Wonka while arousing absolutely zero suspicion in this small suburban town IN THE 90s, and the YouTube-anime-dub performance of the narrator, I did not enjoy one thing about this book. Poo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Violence
Moderate: Child death, Excrement, Kidnapping
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oof. Oof oof oof. Oofoofoofoofoof.
I will admit, as much as I typically love LaRocca, their prose is not my favorite part. I'm an enjoyer of his experimental approach, such as in You've Lost a Lot of Blood. Darkness doesn't experiment with much of anything at all. It feels like the first draft of a fanfiction, and what I mean by that is the excitable stream of consciousness feeling without the need to kill any darlings. The acknowledgments details that LaRocca sent each chapter to their mother every night during the writing process, and I think that shows in the poor pacing, descriptive for vibes but without much guidance, the lack of defining, consistent traits in any of the characters, and the rushed ending. I did finish it, which is something, but I can honestly say that's more because I'm endeared to LaRocca typically and wanted to see just what was going on. Because it's such a departure from what I enjoyed in his other works, and in a way that felt like "first story" and not "intentional style shift."
I will admit, as much as I typically love LaRocca, their prose is not my favorite part. I'm an enjoyer of his experimental approach, such as in You've Lost a Lot of Blood. Darkness doesn't experiment with much of anything at all. It feels like the first draft of a fanfiction, and what I mean by that is the excitable stream of consciousness feeling without the need to kill any darlings. The acknowledgments details that LaRocca sent each chapter to their mother every night during the writing process, and I think that shows in the poor pacing, descriptive for vibes but without much guidance, the lack of defining, consistent traits in any of the characters, and the rushed ending. I did finish it, which is something, but I can honestly say that's more because I'm endeared to LaRocca typically and wanted to see just what was going on. Because it's such a departure from what I enjoyed in his other works, and in a way that felt like "first story" and not "intentional style shift."
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What was this book about? idk. Did I enjoy it? idk. I found the volume of rape and/or sexual assault scenes a little troubling, especially since there was very little allusion to them throughout the book or the summary, so I felt a little blindsided by them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Murder
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
Beautifully horrifying! Didn't know whether to cry or re-read it the moment I finished
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Rape
If Michael Scott wrote horror. 2 stars because I did finish it
This novella was the longest 200-page book I’d read yet. The novella is unlike the author’s other books, and not in a good way. Most of the book is nothing but metaphors. “He was like this, and she was like that, they were like..” so many filler sentences to overpaint a picture.
I found myself only finishing the book because it was an ARC, and I needed to review it. If this were a book I bought, I would have DNF’d it. The story doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.
There are three main storylines/characters in the book that loosely tie together. Did no one in the town notice an eccentric rich older man driving a villain car? Was the city so homophobic the cop abandoned all his duties to hunt homophobes? There was unnecessary SA in the book, which could have been avoided together.
I had high hopes for this novella and was disappointed with the finished product.
I found myself only finishing the book because it was an ARC, and I needed to review it. If this were a book I bought, I would have DNF’d it. The story doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.
There are three main storylines/characters in the book that loosely tie together. Did no one in the town notice an eccentric rich older man driving a villain car? Was the city so homophobic the cop abandoned all his duties to hunt homophobes? There was unnecessary SA in the book, which could have been avoided together.
I had high hopes for this novella and was disappointed with the finished product.
I usually like Eric LaRocca’s books but this one failed to stick. The concept and synopsis were intriguing to me but execution was strange. The story lagged a lot for being so short and that was frustrating, the POV’s were interesting enough but confusing at times and things just didn’t make sense.
It also features some heinous, homophobic hate crimes that really disturbed me. Of course with LaRocca, I expected some body horror and violence but it was a lot.
It also features some heinous, homophobic hate crimes that really disturbed me. Of course with LaRocca, I expected some body horror and violence but it was a lot.