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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Two American ex-pats obsessed with the Amanda Knox trial find themselves at the nexus of murder and celebrity in glittering late-aughts Berlin. Hoping to escape the pain of the recent murder of her best friend, art student Zoe Beech finds herself studying abroad in the bohemian capital of Europe: Berlin. Zoe, rudderless, relies on the arrangements of fellow exchange student Hailey Mader, who idolizes Warhol and Britney Spears and wants nothing more than to be an art star. On Craigslist, Hailey unknowingly stumbles on an apartment sublet posted by a well-known thriller writer. Feeling as though they've won the lottery, the women move into the high-ceilinged pre-war flat. Soon they realize that their landlady, Beatrice, who is supposed to be on a residency in Vienna, is watching them… and her next book appears to be based on their lives. Taking stock of their mundane routines, Law and Order binges and nightly nachos, Hailey insists they become people worthy of a novel. As the year unravels and events spiral out of control, they begin to wonder whose story they are living, and how will it end? I was always fascinated and interested by the Amanda Knox case, and to hear that this book has influences based off that case with characters obsessed with that case, I knew I had to read this book. I immediately loved the characters and settings, and I loved the focus on a cast of characters who were art students. The first three quarters of this book was a slow burn but it introduced us to the characters and their world in a tangible way, despite feeling too slow for my tastes. I liked how we learn of the protagonist’s complicated life, from her dead hometown best friend to her eating disorder, and I liked how those things were given the time and respect they deserved in the story rather than a brief mention. I liked how this story explores the difficult world of art academia and the art world, along with a European angle for the main setting. I liked how this story becomes very meta with a character observing our protagonist and her friend and writing her novel around a fictionalized version of their lives. The meta had a few layers: this novel was partially based around the Amanda Knox case, with characters intrigued by the Amanda Knox case, who end up being trapped in a twisted recreation of the Amanda Knox case by an author in order to draw inspiration for her next book. Despite this, it was never confusing or contrived. It all felt very natural. I liked how the characters attempted to be people worth writing about, which later spiralled into them attempting to beat the spying author at her own game, only to find themselves lost in it. This book reminded me of the movie The Voyeurs, only with less plot conveniences/contrivances and outlandishness. I love how this book essentially paralleled the Amanda Knox case while letting the reader imagine what it was like to be in her shoes through a fictional story and a fictional character. It’s one thing to watch a true crime documentary and hear all of the details (from the crime itself, through the media firestorm to the trial) and it’s another to live through it all, and this book did a great job at taking the reader through that journey with the protagonist. I liked what this story explored, I just felt like the pacing was off and that it meandered in certain places. I do feel like the slow burn was effective to introduce this world and these characters, but I do feel like this story would have had more impact had the last quarter of the book been stretched out and was longer than the first third. I liked the ending but it wasn’t as impactful as it should have been, especially since I had forgotten so much about the elements from the beginning of the story by the time that they were reintroduced at the end for the cliffhanger twist/stinger. Overall, this was an interesting book that I liked the concept of, I just ultimately found the payoff to be average.
This book was okay. I don’t think I would read it again. I enjoyed the atmosphere but found that nothing really felt revolved in the end. The last sentence didn’t really fit for me. I’m curious to see what the author does next.
i love books about obsession and this one was a thrilling narrative that shone in the second half of the book
Oh yeah, this reminded me of life in europe in the 2000s. just a little wild. these girls sublet and apartment and then throw wild parties! but the owner has a secret! and there is a lot of partying.
when this got good, it got really fucking good. shame it took so long to get there.
I thought this was something else.
dark
mysterious
medium-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
I just was not compelled to continue past page 55. This was a slow, slow burn, and I wanted something beyond the constant partying, drinking, and disjointed writing.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes