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jetix's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
god, i wish erin had divorced him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Drug abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Child death
saltedsnail's review
dark
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
2.0
So much of this book is absolutely gorgeous. The setting and the writing are what managed to scrape up two stars for me... It’s all squandered on a relentlessly unlikeable main character. I was genuinely quite surprised by the ending of this book because Charles is so irredeemably unlikable, emotionally inept, and disgustingly not self aware for the entirety that we’re forced along the grueling length of this novel that I fully expected, in true fairy tale fashion, that he must meet some grisly end to make it all worth it. Sure, he spends most of his time moaning and groaning about his “guilt” but such guilt is also bizarrely barren of any legitimate self reflection or growth. I actually rolled my eyes during that ending paragraph about “hope”. Thank goodness Erin stole the killing blow from this self aggrandizing, self pitying loser…. If only she’d left him in the wood.
The most horrifying thing is that I feel Charles is an incredibly realistic character where as the many supporting female roles feel flat and one dimensional. I have absolutely met people like Charles, adult men with the emotional maturity of literal children. He’s a self absorbed professor who loves to cheat on his not-beautiful-but-striking wife and neglect his daughter. He knows he is the main character of this story - I can understand that. What I cannot understand is why none of the other characters in this story believe they are the main character.
So much potential. What a waste.
The most horrifying thing is that I feel Charles is an incredibly realistic character where as the many supporting female roles feel flat and one dimensional. I have absolutely met people like Charles, adult men with the emotional maturity of literal children. He’s a self absorbed professor who loves to cheat on his not-beautiful-but-striking wife and neglect his daughter. He knows he is the main character of this story - I can understand that. What I cannot understand is why none of the other characters in this story believe they are the main character.
So much potential. What a waste.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Infidelity, and Child death
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