A review by literaryjunarin
Vacuum in the Dark by Jen Beagin

dark funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I didn't know that this is a sequel to Pretend I'm Dead. I just read it because I'll read everything Jen Beagin writes.

Mona is still the same, always has no boundaries, still takes inappropriate pictures in her client's houses after cleaning them, and gets into problematic relationships. 

And how problematic they are indeed:
1. She got involved with a married man who leaves her love notes for her to find while cleaning the house.
2. Her new clients, a Hungarian pill-popping artist couple convinced her to become their nude model. And that she does.
3. Meeting her mother again and then trying to resolve their relationship. Mona, remembering her past is a truly bleak scene. A whole lot of daddy issues, neglect, domestic abuse, graphic memory of rape, yeah, she's got a lot of trauma.
4. She got a new boyfriend, again, to an older man, I think they have an 18-year gap. I didn't like this part that much.

The ending was quite sudden though, but it also felt like an opening for a 3rd book.