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A review by existentialhell
Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
Neat concept, but irritatingly cliché portrayals of mental health and medication that I'm tired of seeing. "You're not the REAL you on psych meds" "They dull your mind" "They numb you out", all the classics. There's compelling and real and interesting ways to write about being treated w the wrong medications (I'm walking proof), but this ain't it.
The pacing's also frustratingly slow. I'm sure it picks up later in the book (generally how books work, go figure), but I'm well over 100 pages in and have been given virtually nothing for my efforts. Noor's done some bare bones research on RASA and who Louise was secretly calling, the Arizona couple's about to have dinner with the wife's old fling who's also Noor's former doctor neighbor, Mei's just getting on the plane to Amsterdam - but I can't bring myself to give a shit because there's virtually no broader tension. The book seems to think that plot alone is enough to establish the atmosphere and it just falls flat. The Arizona couple's the only one that convinced me to care, and I still don't even remember their names! Just feels like a slog.
If the writing were better, I probably would have stuck it out. Maybe I'll give the book another shot in a year or two with fresh eyes and attitude.
The pacing's also frustratingly slow. I'm sure it picks up later in the book (generally how books work, go figure), but I'm well over 100 pages in and have been given virtually nothing for my efforts. Noor's done some bare bones research on RASA and who Louise was secretly calling, the Arizona couple's about to have dinner with the wife's old fling who's also Noor's former doctor neighbor, Mei's just getting on the plane to Amsterdam - but I can't bring myself to give a shit because there's virtually no broader tension. The book seems to think that plot alone is enough to establish the atmosphere and it just falls flat. The Arizona couple's the only one that convinced me to care, and I still don't even remember their names! Just feels like a slog.
If the writing were better, I probably would have stuck it out. Maybe I'll give the book another shot in a year or two with fresh eyes and attitude.