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lexarobinson's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Outstanding. The novel was given to me from my boyfriend, and he did a fantastic job: I devoured it in two hours and couldn't put it down. You're brought into ask questions from the very first few pages, questions that Park doesn't answer until the very last sentence. He opens plotlines that leave you begging for more, and then circles back to them when you least expect them, and it's a sucker punch. The writing style is stream-of-consciousness done to absolute perfection. Explores rocky familial relationships in a way that will have your heart aching just to tell everyone you love them. Park should be proud.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Death, and Child death
walshie_writes's review
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
woerterfetischist's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chaoscat's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
shinyshona's review
5.0
Excellently written, desperately sad. Loved how the thoughts revealing the story rippled out.
tay_af's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A really phenomenal dissection of grief and blame and paternal psyche. Certain passages were just breathtaking, excellent prose. Fair warning that it’s a very sad book to read
paceamorelibri's review
4.0
This was a lovely, devastating little book. It's a simple story which follows Tom, a Northern Irish man making a road trip from Belfast to Sunderland to pick up his son Luke from uni for the Christmas holidays. This reverse-Odyssey is being undertaken as weather has made road conditions terrible and all public transport has been shut down, and Luke is too sick to drive himself.
On a very surface level, David Park captures the fortitude required to drive in unsafe weather conditions in a way that hooked and compelled me instantly, but obviously this book is so much more than that. I don't want to give away too much as it has such a short page count, but this book delves so deep into grief and guilt that it's a wonder Park could do it all in under 200 pages.
The only issue that cropped up for me on occasion was something that frequently bothers me with books written in the first-person; when the narrator becomes overly articulate in such a way that you can feel the author using them as a mouthpiece. I found the writing mostly lovely and authentic, and this was only an occasional criticism, but it was enough to knock it back from 5 stars.
Still, it's a tremendously affecting book that I'd recommend highly, especially on a snowy day.
On a very surface level, David Park captures the fortitude required to drive in unsafe weather conditions in a way that hooked and compelled me instantly, but obviously this book is so much more than that. I don't want to give away too much as it has such a short page count, but this book delves so deep into grief and guilt that it's a wonder Park could do it all in under 200 pages.
The only issue that cropped up for me on occasion was something that frequently bothers me with books written in the first-person; when the narrator becomes overly articulate in such a way that you can feel the author using them as a mouthpiece. I found the writing mostly lovely and authentic, and this was only an occasional criticism, but it was enough to knock it back from 5 stars.
Still, it's a tremendously affecting book that I'd recommend highly, especially on a snowy day.