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nightjar656 's review for:
The Seventh Veil of Salome
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I picked this book up from the library not knowing much beyond recognizing the author's name and skimming the summary. Anyway, I'm really glad I ended up liking it.
This book has the most effective use of multiple POVs that I've ever read. I loved how Nancy's POV was written because I despised her, yet Moreno-Garcia managed to write it in a way that seemed like it truly was a glimpse into Nancy's brain. I also thought the way Salome and Vera contrasted each other was really stark and sort of exemplified both of their characterizations, allowing them to sort of shine in their contrasts but also in their similarities. I also liked the little asides from other people throughout the book, the glimpses into other peoples' minds and relationships with Nancy or Vera and then the subversion or affirmations of what they said added a really interesting element to the book that I really liked. One of the things that really stood out to me was this one pairing of scenes contrasting Nancy and Benny with Vera and the person she ends up in a relationship with where I had to pause to admire how well the author had set the scenes up to really contrast the characters.
Some other things: I also really loved Vera's arc, I think she had a lot of strong growth throughout the story and her sweetness was a nice contrast to Nancy. The story the author was trying to tell really would not have worked as well without Vera developing in the way that she did. I thought the book was well-paced and an interesting story throughout, there's a lot that you can analyze if you want but even if you don't want to think about it it's still a really fun read.
Anyway. I really liked this one, I'd recommend it if you like books that have old Hollywood, unlikeable characters, historical settings in the '50s, or also just books that try to do something a little unique with the format they choose.
This book has the most effective use of multiple POVs that I've ever read. I loved how Nancy's POV was written because I despised her, yet Moreno-Garcia managed to write it in a way that seemed like it truly was a glimpse into Nancy's brain. I also thought the way Salome and Vera contrasted each other was really stark and sort of exemplified both of their characterizations, allowing them to sort of shine in their contrasts but also in their similarities. I also liked the little asides from other people throughout the book, the glimpses into other peoples' minds and relationships with Nancy or Vera and then the subversion or affirmations of what they said added a really interesting element to the book that I really liked. One of the things that really stood out to me was this one pairing of scenes contrasting Nancy and Benny with Vera and the person she ends up in a relationship with where I had to pause to admire how well the author had set the scenes up to really contrast the characters.
Some other things: I also really loved Vera's arc, I think she had a lot of strong growth throughout the story and her sweetness was a nice contrast to Nancy. The story the author was trying to tell really would not have worked as well without Vera developing in the way that she did. I thought the book was well-paced and an interesting story throughout, there's a lot that you can analyze if you want but even if you don't want to think about it it's still a really fun read.
Anyway. I really liked this one, I'd recommend it if you like books that have old Hollywood, unlikeable characters, historical settings in the '50s, or also just books that try to do something a little unique with the format they choose.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia