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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.0
Finished reading: March 2nd 2023
"At the point when she crossed the threshold of evil, entering the dark lift that catapulted her into a world far worse than she'd imagined in her most terrible nightmares."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Head Of Zeus in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I've loved some of Sebastian Fitzek's backlist titles in the past, and I've been meaning to read more of his work for a while now. I admit it was hook, line and sinker as soon as I read the blurb of the translation of his newest book Walk Me Home. I mean, have you seen it?! The woman who knows the day she is going to die because her killer revealed it to her, the phone service element, the life-threatening situation creating a bond between two strangers... It sounds like such a fantastic premise for an action-packed and exhilarating read, so that's why it came as a bit of a surprise I ended up having mixed thoughts instead.
It is a known fact that Sebastian Fitzek's thrillers tend to be on the over the top and unbelievable side in the first place, and I usually don't mind because the stories tend to deliver on an entertainment level. I'm not sure if it was just the strange reading mood I've been in lately, but the fact is that I wasn't as convinced by Walk Me Home this time around. Don't get me wrong, I still think that the premise itself is fantastic and it had SO much potential. The plot twists are clever, and there were parts I never saw coming. BUT. The execution was a bit lacking for me this time around.
Why would I say that? I found the structure of the plot to be highly confusing and a bit of a mess to be honest, and especially in the first half of the story. I struggled considerably to fully understand what was really going on, and it all felt a bit too jumbled and purposedly misleading. It took me a long time to get a proper feel for the story, and the structure and way the plot was developed slowed down the story considerably. True, things did improve in especially the last quarter or so, but still... It took me a lot longer than expected to actually reach that final page.
Apart from the structure, I also had issues with the content of Walk Me Home itself. I sure don't mind a dark and gritty read, but this story was particularly brutal with a focus on domestic abuse, rape, torture, mental illness and suicide among other things. Nothing I can't handle when these elements are incorporated well, but I felt like in this book in particular they were mostly used to shock the reader over and over again instead of adding anything substantial. The domestic abuse, rape and torture scenes are particularly gruesome, and it made for some very uncomfortable reading. Using these elements for shock value made the story feel a bit 'cheap' to me.
I can't say that I was a fan of any of the characters either, and I felt that their development was a bit one-dimensional. The plot switches between Klara and Jules as the story unfolds, but somehow I never actually warmed up to either (even though they both have a very tragic background and it should be easy to feel sorry for them). It might just have been that the unreliable narrator was amped up too high, making it frustrating to deal with them... But I wasn't a fan of how the plot twists and reveals around the characters were handled either.
All in all, sadly I don't think Walk Me Home lived up to that fantastic premise for me. It's not a bad read, but there were elements I simply couldn't get past personally. Most people do seem to have a better reaction to this book though, so don't give up on my account! Just make sure to brace yourself for a seriously twisted, pitch-black and frankly over the top ride... Don't say I haven't warned you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Torture, Sexual violence, and Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Child death, Gun violence, Addiction, and Grief
booksaremysoulmates's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
My best friend has been telling me about the genius writing of Fitzek for quite some time and finally I decided to read one of his books. The only thought about me waiting this long is: WHY THE FUCK DIDN‘T I READ ANY OF HIS WORK BEFORE?
His writing is genius and the story is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Fitzek is a german author but he also publishes his stories in other languages as well. So please make sure to give his books a try. This one might be the best first book to read of his. It‘s such a genius crafted thriller that has you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I just couldn‘t put it down at all, which is also why I am currently awake at 2:14am to write this review. His writing is so easy to follow and so captivating but also so genius at the same time. I don‘t want to talk too much about the plot/story but I should give you some trigger warnings, so if any of these topics are ones that bother you to read about, please skip this one. Trigger warnings: murder, rape, sadism, sexual assault, assault, torture, mental illness, suicide, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, child death, blood, physical abuse, sexism and overall violence. I know these are a lot, but this is a thriller so some of these are a given…still I wanted to mention them incase any of these topics are hard for you to handle.
Personally I can not wait to read more of his books.
His writing is genius and the story is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Fitzek is a german author but he also publishes his stories in other languages as well. So please make sure to give his books a try. This one might be the best first book to read of his. It‘s such a genius crafted thriller that has you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I just couldn‘t put it down at all, which is also why I am currently awake at 2:14am to write this review. His writing is so easy to follow and so captivating but also so genius at the same time. I don‘t want to talk too much about the plot/story but I should give you some trigger warnings, so if any of these topics are ones that bother you to read about, please skip this one. Trigger warnings: murder, rape, sadism, sexual assault, assault, torture, mental illness, suicide, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, child death, blood, physical abuse, sexism and overall violence. I know these are a lot, but this is a thriller so some of these are a given…still I wanted to mention them incase any of these topics are hard for you to handle.
Personally I can not wait to read more of his books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
mishasbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Blood, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Rape, Stalking, Torture, and Violence
relatifcreatif's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Bullying, Child death, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Rape, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Medical trauma
beritblaubaer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.5
Jules Tannberg sitzt an jenem Abend am sogenannten Begleittelefon, ein Telefonservice für vor allem Frauen, die sich auf dem nächtlichen Weg nach Hause befinden, sich unwohl oder ängstlich fühlen und während des Heimwegs mit einer telefonischen Begleitung sprechen wollen, um sich die Angst nehmen zu lassen oder im Fall der Fälle schnell Hilfe zu ihrem jeweiligen Standort ordern zu lassen. Jules spricht mit Karla, die davon überzeugt ist, noch in dieser Nacht ermordet zu werden. Von einem Mann, der einst ihr Todesdatum mit Blut an ihre Schlafzimmerwand malte...
Mein sechster Fitzek-Thriller. Und der erste, bei dem mir eine Bewertung wirklich schwer fällt. Ich beginne mal mit dem Positiven: In einer Hinsicht wird mich wohl keines seiner Werke enttäuschen: Steiler Spannungsbogen, schockierende Plottwists - wieder einmal vermochte ich das Buch (bzw. den e-book Reader) nicht aus der Hand zu legen. Anders als bei anderen Werken Fitzeks fand ich die Handlung und die finale Auflösung auch nicht vorhersehbar, sodass besagte Schockmomente gute Wirkung erzielen konnten.
Zudem finde ich es begrüßenswert, dass Fitzek bei dieser Geschichte die Relevanz und Brisanz eines Themas verhandelt hat, das gar nicht oft genug besprochen werden kann: Häusliche Gewalt und Misogynie. Jedoch- und hier gelange ich direkt zu meinem hauptsächlichen Kritikpunkt - erfolgte diese Schilderung via graphischer Gewaltdarstellungen, die teilweise nur ganz, ganz schwer auszuhalten waren (und ich behaupte gewöhnlich von mir, in puncto Psychothriller nicht allzu zart besaitet zu sein). Man mag schon fast sagen: reißerisch. Ich befinde mich hier noch immer in einem ziemlichen Zwiespalt: Einerseits gut und wichtig, dass dieses Thema verhandelt wird - auch in einer gewissen Intensität und voller Deutlichkeit. Jedoch frage ich mich, ob diese Härte und Brutalität tatsächlich letzten Endes zielführend war.
Ein wenig sauer ist bei mor auch die Auflösung aufgestoßen:
Mein sechster Fitzek-Thriller. Und der erste, bei dem mir eine Bewertung wirklich schwer fällt. Ich beginne mal mit dem Positiven: In einer Hinsicht wird mich wohl keines seiner Werke enttäuschen: Steiler Spannungsbogen, schockierende Plottwists - wieder einmal vermochte ich das Buch (bzw. den e-book Reader) nicht aus der Hand zu legen. Anders als bei anderen Werken Fitzeks fand ich die Handlung und die finale Auflösung auch nicht vorhersehbar, sodass besagte Schockmomente gute Wirkung erzielen konnten.
Zudem finde ich es begrüßenswert, dass Fitzek bei dieser Geschichte die Relevanz und Brisanz eines Themas verhandelt hat, das gar nicht oft genug besprochen werden kann: Häusliche Gewalt und Misogynie. Jedoch- und hier gelange ich direkt zu meinem hauptsächlichen Kritikpunkt - erfolgte diese Schilderung via graphischer Gewaltdarstellungen, die teilweise nur ganz, ganz schwer auszuhalten waren (und ich behaupte gewöhnlich von mir, in puncto Psychothriller nicht allzu zart besaitet zu sein). Man mag schon fast sagen: reißerisch. Ich befinde mich hier noch immer in einem ziemlichen Zwiespalt: Einerseits gut und wichtig, dass dieses Thema verhandelt wird - auch in einer gewissen Intensität und voller Deutlichkeit. Jedoch frage ich mich, ob diese Härte und Brutalität tatsächlich letzten Endes zielführend war.
Ein wenig sauer ist bei mor auch die Auflösung aufgestoßen:
Jules' Motiv, Frauen zu bestrafen, die es nicht schaffen, einer toxischen Beziehung zu entfliehen, ggf. durch Mord an ihrem Ehemann. In meinen Augen ist diese krude Ansicht viel zu wenig aufgearbeitet worden und am Ende blieb der bittere Beigeschmack, der Mörder habe, aller moralischen Fragwürdigkeit zum Trotze, die Protagonistin final dazu empowern können, endlich der Gewalspirale zu entfliehen. Es gab in meinen Augen bis zum Ende ein deutliches Machtgefälle zwischen Jules (=Mann) und Klara (=Frau) und mir hätte es deutlich besser gefallen, wenn Klara ein wenig mehr agency gehabt hätte und nicht lediglich die Funktion einer Marionette, oder einer Spielfigur auf Jules' Spielbrett gehabt hätte. Also auch hier wieder ein klarer Zwiespalt.
Mir ist natürlich bewusst, dass das gewählte Thema hoch komplex, hoch sensibel und allgemein nicht einfach literarisch/fiktiv zu behandeln ist. Letzten Endes komme ich für mich jedoch zu dem Entschluss, dass es immer gut ist, es überhaupt zu themtisieren und Aufmersamkeit darauf zu lenken, was viel zu vielen Menschen (aber eben vor allem gelesene Frauen) täglich widerfährt und was noch immer viel zu oft unsichtbar gemacht und unter den Teppich gekehrt wird. Über das konkrete Wie des Erzählens kann und muss dann in zweiter Instanz diskutiert werden.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, and Vomit
Minor: Alcoholism, Homophobia, and Stalking
marenluisaaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
teilweise sehr schockierend und schwer zu verdauen aber unglaublich spannend und - wie man‘s von fitzek kennst- plottwist über plottwist
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
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