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A review by sheryl_macca
When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
When No One Is Watching is seriously intense. It's dark, sinister, psychological, mysterious, challenging and really, really intense.
Although it's entirely fictional it's also based on historical truth. Hideous, racist, historical, shameful truth that should be highlighted. This book shines a floodlight directly at gentrification, fraud and exploitation. There's a serious and important message about institutional racism, capitalism at all cost and the entitlement of rich, white people in positions of power.
The setting is a single location, the cast of characters is few and there are just 2 POVs. This intensifies the suspense, the action and the shock.
I was, however, over half way through when I said to my partner, "if someone doesn't die in the next 10 pages then I just don't get it". Someone did die and much more besides which did bring everything together and focused the plot. The story escalated quickly from there but the brooding, tense build up took a little long for me.
Although it's entirely fictional it's also based on historical truth. Hideous, racist, historical, shameful truth that should be highlighted. This book shines a floodlight directly at gentrification, fraud and exploitation. There's a serious and important message about institutional racism, capitalism at all cost and the entitlement of rich, white people in positions of power.
The setting is a single location, the cast of characters is few and there are just 2 POVs. This intensifies the suspense, the action and the shock.
I was, however, over half way through when I said to my partner, "if someone doesn't die in the next 10 pages then I just don't get it". Someone did die and much more besides which did bring everything together and focused the plot. The story escalated quickly from there but the brooding, tense build up took a little long for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders