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phoebemagdalena's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? No
5.0
The Lockdown Ladies' Burial Club - the nickname the protagonists in this book give themselves - just surprised me (in the best possible way).
While there is definitely a strong current of despair threaded throughout this novel, hope is beckoning enticingly in every page, even the more grim ones. I did not think I could relate so closely to an experience of Lockdown I have never even remotely lived through, but the narrative style envelopes the reader in the lives of these 5 women even before you get to know them properly, let alone by the time you get to like them.
There's danger lurking in every corner, behind every page. The final chapters were read while I was holding my breath (so so well done with the suspense!), and the end is simply perfect - including the author's note disclaiming just how improbable the events narrated are, yet how close to life and frequent the protagonists' situations were.
The dark humour (the blackest I've probably ever read) landed gracefully, and while I might not have giggled while reading this novel, I have definitely snorted derisively a fair few times.
While there is definitely a strong current of despair threaded throughout this novel, hope is beckoning enticingly in every page, even the more grim ones. I did not think I could relate so closely to an experience of Lockdown I have never even remotely lived through, but the narrative style envelopes the reader in the lives of these 5 women even before you get to know them properly, let alone by the time you get to like them.
There's danger lurking in every corner, behind every page. The final chapters were read while I was holding my breath (so so well done with the suspense!), and the end is simply perfect - including the author's note disclaiming just how improbable the events narrated are, yet how close to life and frequent the protagonists' situations were.
The dark humour (the blackest I've probably ever read) landed gracefully, and while I might not have giggled while reading this novel, I have definitely snorted derisively a fair few times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
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