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billcbentley's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Death of parent, and Death
sh00's review against another edition
3.0
Купился на несколько броских рецензий - и не то, чтобы был разочарован, ведь в конечном итоге я дочитал эту вещь... Но внутри ничего не прозвенело. У меня такое ощущение, что я прочёл набор клише, которые уже встречались мне раньше, был готов к постепенному съезжанию с катушек одного из персонажей, и окончательный финиш совершенно никак не впечатлил. Это не впечатление - событие вполне предсказуемое с точки зрения небезызвестной работы "Смотрим на чужие страдания". А в конце вообще пошёл какой-то поддельный Уэльбек, но подхвативший насморк в трансатлантическом круизе. Словом, мы дальнейших кровопролитиев ожидали, а он соплями намазал.
Слабовато, если честно. Работа для обсуждения на книжном клубе, где на девять девчонок по статистике нету ребят.
Слабовато, если честно. Работа для обсуждения на книжном клубе, где на девять девчонок по статистике нету ребят.
charlottej's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
wanttobelieve's review against another edition
3.0
it was better than i expected it to be but i found the end to be unnecessary
burrowsi1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
vinjii's review
4.0
I got a review copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
4.5 Stars.
I devoured this in one long afternoon. I simply couldn't put it down. This book is like a punch to the gut. It wrecked me. It stayed with me. It's utterly visceral and unnerving.
I loved every second of it.
This is one of those books that should be experienced blind. A sense of doom and tragedy seeps through the pages from the very beginning.
The book is told from the point of view of twelve year old Daniel, who is on a road trip with his father, travelling north to visit a film set his father works at. Thanks to this series Daniel has formed a bond with his estranged father, and he's obsessed with it. That's why his mother reluctantly agreed to this road trip. Slowly, the author reveals the relationship between the characters and unveils the father's erratic, unreliable and unpredictable personality.
Benjamin Wood's prose is beautiful; the style is detailed, poetic. He excels at writing with the voice of a twelve year old boy, and the book is tense and chilling throughout, with just the right amount of foreshadowing.
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better is dark, violent and it depicts trauma accurately. Recommended to anyone who thinks the premise sounds interesting.
4.5 Stars.
I devoured this in one long afternoon. I simply couldn't put it down. This book is like a punch to the gut. It wrecked me. It stayed with me. It's utterly visceral and unnerving.
I loved every second of it.
This is one of those books that should be experienced blind. A sense of doom and tragedy seeps through the pages from the very beginning.
The book is told from the point of view of twelve year old Daniel, who is on a road trip with his father, travelling north to visit a film set his father works at. Thanks to this series Daniel has formed a bond with his estranged father, and he's obsessed with it. That's why his mother reluctantly agreed to this road trip. Slowly, the author reveals the relationship between the characters and unveils the father's erratic, unreliable and unpredictable personality.
Benjamin Wood's prose is beautiful; the style is detailed, poetic. He excels at writing with the voice of a twelve year old boy, and the book is tense and chilling throughout, with just the right amount of foreshadowing.
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better is dark, violent and it depicts trauma accurately. Recommended to anyone who thinks the premise sounds interesting.
radioactve_piano's review against another edition
4.0
Oof, this is not a light read.
Just like Wood's previous books, the writing is superb. I didn't want to miss any phrases or words because every single one is a deliberate -- yet seemingly effortless -- choice.
But oh my goodness, the plot is absolutely dark. I probably should have held off on reading it until I was out of a not-so-light phase in life, but I had been waiting for this book to be available stateside for so long.... But I think I am only giving it 4 stars because I couldn't fully "enjoy" it (it's not an enjoyable book! It's uncomfortable and that's absolutely the point! And yet I can't bring myself to have it on my 5-star list! UGH.).
Just like Wood's previous books, the writing is superb. I didn't want to miss any phrases or words because every single one is a deliberate -- yet seemingly effortless -- choice.
But oh my goodness, the plot is absolutely dark. I probably should have held off on reading it until I was out of a not-so-light phase in life, but I had been waiting for this book to be available stateside for so long.... But I think I am only giving it 4 stars because I couldn't fully "enjoy" it (it's not an enjoyable book! It's uncomfortable and that's absolutely the point! And yet I can't bring myself to have it on my 5-star list! UGH.).
justineharvey's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-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
3.5
fiendfull's review against another edition
4.0
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better is an unnerving and raw novel about the aftereffects of violence and trauma. One morning in 1995, Daniel and his estranged father Francis set off on a road trip that is meant to help fix their relationship. Daniel’s mother doesn’t think it will, thinking that Francis will slide into his usual unpredictable ways. The further Daniel and his father drive, the more this turns out to be a trip unlike any other, and soon his father’s desperation and violence will be fully unleashed, and Daniel will bear the scars of these few days for the rest of his life.
It is hard to know what to expect from this novel when you start, but it quickly sets up the looking back on trauma and a tense situation that the narrator has obsessed over ever since. The story is not simple: Daniel tells it as remembered, but also with lies and bias and an intertwined audiobook that was engrained into the events. This makes the style intense and often visceral, but also musing on the impact of memory and how things are viewed by different people. The novel feels distinctive and unusual, menacing and focused on the description of the everyday English landscapes forever tied to violence for Daniel.
Wood’s novel is worth reading even if the sound of it doesn’t immediately grab your attention: it is more than its summary, an unnerving read that uses reliability to depict childhood trauma and a lingering menace to build suspense for what must inevitably come.
It is hard to know what to expect from this novel when you start, but it quickly sets up the looking back on trauma and a tense situation that the narrator has obsessed over ever since. The story is not simple: Daniel tells it as remembered, but also with lies and bias and an intertwined audiobook that was engrained into the events. This makes the style intense and often visceral, but also musing on the impact of memory and how things are viewed by different people. The novel feels distinctive and unusual, menacing and focused on the description of the everyday English landscapes forever tied to violence for Daniel.
Wood’s novel is worth reading even if the sound of it doesn’t immediately grab your attention: it is more than its summary, an unnerving read that uses reliability to depict childhood trauma and a lingering menace to build suspense for what must inevitably come.