A review by mantissabolt
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

dark emotional mysterious sad tense
  • 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

3.75

 This is called a "literary mystery", which means that all characters are flawed. She does a pretty good job of making most of the characters three-dimensional. 
It is not 100% clear who did it, though you are pretty sure. The person is probably did it, was never charged, but his life (and the life of his wife and children) is probably destroyed. The person who is in prison for the murder and probably did not do it, is still in prison, but may eventually get out. The person she spent about half the book thinking he had done the murder, did not but was a abuser of children and by inaction let a innocent man go to prison. 
 

She does a lot of interesting things in telling the story, like having a class on podcasting be a major vehicle to propel the story. Every once in a while, the main character gets upset by the news, but instead of it being "a" thing, she lists a whole series of real life events that could the thing that upset her. It always helps convey the sense of the story. I could see this trick being very annoying for some people, but I liked it. 

This is not a classical mystery and has only some of those tropes. This is very good, but not great. 

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