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A review by shhchar
Still Lives by Maria Hummel
5.0
Wow, I am so sad I finished this book!! I wanted to exist in this world for longer. I underestimated this book, one that piqued my interest in a random bookstore but that I'd never stumbled across online before. What I thought would be a thriller/mystery novel with a meta-true crime twist was so much deeper than that.
Hummel put a lot of care into her characters: though there were many, they were fully fleshed out and it was easy to recall their backstories about 100 pages in. The women of the Rocque particularly stood out to me and Hummel's little details - from Craft Club to spinning - made them feel realistic and relatable. When it comes to symbolism, there is so much to unpack that I will need to do some offline thinking about it.
Though the end didn't feel rushed because the whole novel was a steady build if I were to have any critique of this book it was that it was simply too short. Another 50 pages would have allowed it to sink in a little better.
This book astounded me. Highly recommend to any fan of true crime.
Hummel put a lot of care into her characters: though there were many, they were fully fleshed out and it was easy to recall their backstories about 100 pages in. The women of the Rocque particularly stood out to me and Hummel's little details - from Craft Club to spinning - made them feel realistic and relatable. When it comes to symbolism, there is so much to unpack that I will need to do some offline thinking about it.
Though the end didn't feel rushed because the whole novel was a steady build if I were to have any critique of this book it was that it was simply too short. Another 50 pages would have allowed it to sink in a little better.
This book astounded me. Highly recommend to any fan of true crime.