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A review by michaelchurch
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a fun and interesting read, but pretty predictable. I don’t know if I am too genre savvy or too aware of tropes, but I called the big twist pretty early. Though on the other hand, I do like that there was enough evidence for the reader to be able to keep up (or get ahead).
I always struggle with books about therapists because the therapists are terrible at their jobs. This one also had some weird red herrings. The first couple of chapters mention a bunch of medications by their technical names, but then the main character goes and fills a script for one of those same medications, just under a brand name. But she already had open access to it. It becomes obvious that she has addiction issues and doesn’t do anything about it.
I kind of didn’t like the characters in general. Chloe comes across as trying to be self aware, but also refusing to work through any of her trauma or baggage. Daniel and Cooper are weird and off-putting for different reasons. There are no real friends for Chloe throughout.
The narration also got extremely repetitive after a while. Everything reminded Chloe of something else, which was effective for some narrative reasons, but it came out in frustrating ways as descriptors and other random bits would be repeated over and over.
I think the most interesting and effective parts of the story were how it addressed the fear that is unique to being a woman and some of Chloe’s fears about losing touch with reality. The book does a good job of making you question how Chloe is dealing with everything. Hell, at multiple points, I wondered if Chloe was doing it in her sleep somehow. It did effectively build tension and create atmosphere, but sometimes it was a little cheaply done.
Overall, it was a decent thriller. Just a little predictable, but a good read.
I always struggle with books about therapists because the therapists are terrible at their jobs. This one also had some weird red herrings. The first couple of chapters mention a bunch of medications by their technical names, but then the main character goes and fills a script for one of those same medications, just under a brand name. But she already had open access to it. It becomes obvious that she has addiction issues and doesn’t do anything about it.
I kind of didn’t like the characters in general. Chloe comes across as trying to be self aware, but also refusing to work through any of her trauma or baggage. Daniel and Cooper are weird and off-putting for different reasons. There are no real friends for Chloe throughout.
The narration also got extremely repetitive after a while. Everything reminded Chloe of something else, which was effective for some narrative reasons, but it came out in frustrating ways as descriptors and other random bits would be repeated over and over.
I think the most interesting and effective parts of the story were how it addressed the fear that is unique to being a woman and some of Chloe’s fears about losing touch with reality. The book does a good job of making you question how Chloe is dealing with everything. Hell, at multiple points, I wondered if Chloe was doing it in her sleep somehow. It did effectively build tension and create atmosphere, but sometimes it was a little cheaply done.
Overall, it was a decent thriller. Just a little predictable, but a good read.