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A review by katsbooks
I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
“Doing nothing,” Inez said, “is a choice in its own way. When you do nothing, you still do something.”
“Just because you worked hard on something didn’t make it worth doing.”
“Not everyone has to get the same things all the time in order for life to be fair.”
I had lots of mixed feelings about this book. I picked this up a long time ago. To be quite honest, I don't even know where I got it from. It feels like it's been sitting on my shelf for a decade. (And it's very possible it has been! 😄) Either way, I was a different person when I picked this up. The premise is really intriguing and compelling but it was still missing something for me.
I liked how the text explored Walter's character and his perspective on his own crimes. It was interesting but, ultimately, really unsettling. If you like books with those types of characters, this might really be up your alley. I think if I had read this at a different time, I might have enjoyed it more but I was really not in the headspace of trying to see from the perspective of a creepy rapist/serial killer. I also didn't love Eliza as a character. Again, I appreciated her perspective and what the author was trying to do with these morally gray characters but I just wasn't in the headspace for characters that I didn't like.
I will say that it's obvious Lippman is a good writer. The pacing was solid and she was really good at evoking a scene with very few words. There was never a point where I was so bored that I wanted to put the book down. However, I also was never intrigued enough to pick it up randomly. The only reason I got through it as quickly as I did was because I was listening to it on audio and it was due back to the library. I literally finished it so I could get to a different book.
Overall, the writing and pacing is excellent. If you like morally gray, unsettling characters or true crime-esque novels, this would be right up your alley.
“Just because you worked hard on something didn’t make it worth doing.”
“Not everyone has to get the same things all the time in order for life to be fair.”
I had lots of mixed feelings about this book. I picked this up a long time ago. To be quite honest, I don't even know where I got it from. It feels like it's been sitting on my shelf for a decade. (And it's very possible it has been! 😄) Either way, I was a different person when I picked this up. The premise is really intriguing and compelling but it was still missing something for me.
I liked how the text explored Walter's character and his perspective on his own crimes. It was interesting but, ultimately, really unsettling. If you like books with those types of characters, this might really be up your alley. I think if I had read this at a different time, I might have enjoyed it more but I was really not in the headspace of trying to see from the perspective of a creepy rapist/serial killer. I also didn't love Eliza as a character. Again, I appreciated her perspective and what the author was trying to do with these morally gray characters but I just wasn't in the headspace for characters that I didn't like.
I will say that it's obvious Lippman is a good writer. The pacing was solid and she was really good at evoking a scene with very few words. There was never a point where I was so bored that I wanted to put the book down. However, I also was never intrigued enough to pick it up randomly. The only reason I got through it as quickly as I did was because I was listening to it on audio and it was due back to the library. I literally finished it so I could get to a different book.
Overall, the writing and pacing is excellent. If you like morally gray, unsettling characters or true crime-esque novels, this would be right up your alley.