Reviews

The Strangers by katherena vermette

katrina_c's review

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

theoceanrose's review

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse

Minor: Death and Pregnancy

rebecca_labrador's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

justabean_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Taking place over five years following the first book, and focusing on one of the characters from that, and the women in her family (her, her half sister, mother and grandmother). It has a much more rigid structure than the first book, with each character having a turn, but time still being slippery, and history and the present constantly overlapping.

As with the first book, it's pretty rough going, dealing with incarceration, mental health problems, addiction, and abuse. Not all of these, or indeed many of these, are resolved by the end of the book. Several of the characters struggle with recovery, and can't get ahead. In addition, the grandmother's point of view is immensely toxic, and I found it difficult to spend so much time in her head (as opposed to the first book, where even when people were in a shitty place, I could sympathise). It also hits the Covid-19 pandemic in the later chapters. All that said, I found it immensely rewarding for the same reasons as I liked the first one: the insight into relationships, and the cumulative effect of inter-generational trauma, all the shades of joy and family and grief and isolation. She's just a really good writer!

This more or less left on a cliffhanger, where I said, "Oh, no!" aloud on the last line, so I'm very much looking forward to the third book coming out in a couple months. I've been promised resolution! 

hannah_mck's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, and Abandonment

snoopyguy's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

m_j_philpott's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

joanie98's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

rach3alt's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

leahbell's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0