A review by aseel_reads
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts

emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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

3.5

read this for a readalong so whole review will be a spoiler so i remember what i thought before we talk about it 
i don't know how i feel about it. i think it was a haunting read and will stay some time with me. the author managed to convey/create a sense of dread early on and i think she delivered at the end. it was well paced and i liked the different POVs. sometimes it was hard to know when the book was set but it wasn't really a major problem. for the characters... this is where my feelings shift. on the one hand i feel awfully sorry for both Patrick and Marion, they both had sucky circumstances and i can understand why they both acted the way they did. on the otherhand, i can't say i didn't think they were stupid and selfish. not too sure who i would 'side' with at the end. the biggest thing is Tom doesn't seem that amazing... not that he was bad, but he was pretty flat and not that impressive (besides his looks) to have caused such a fiasco (unless that was the point, they were both only with him for his looks, interesting). there were a few moments like Marion saying that maybe he always removed himself from situations (when he was telling her that Patrick wasn't gay) or the anger/coldness he had that Marion didn't realise was a thing until later. but they were kept to the back and never developed more. i would have loved to see more of Marion and Tom after Patrick went to jail. i think that would have been interesting, seeing their relationship further disintegrate (but that also could have made the book worse). its hard to know what i feel about it (especially as i don't like the age difference between Patrick and Tom, made it a bit annoying/disturbing to read) - but i am excited to see the move.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings