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A review by liammenzies
Hotel Silence by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Super disappointed, and borderline annoyed at how this turned out.
There is such a good concept here - A Man Called Otto meets The Bear if Carmie was into DIY and not fine dining - but it goes absolutely nowhere.
I know not every story has to have likable characters but when the focus of your story is a suicidal man, being able to empathise seems like a necessity, no? Such an air of pretentiousness that fortunately starts to dissipate in the last 30 pages: conveniently enough, the point at which I was actually starting to enjoy it a bit!
On the one hand, Hotel Silence should be a lot longer as both its story and characters desperately need fleshing out. Yet on the other, even at a meagre 174 pages, reading this often felt like walking through treacle.
Not for me I’m afraid.
There is such a good concept here - A Man Called Otto meets The Bear if Carmie was into DIY and not fine dining - but it goes absolutely nowhere.
I know not every story has to have likable characters but when the focus of your story is a suicidal man, being able to empathise seems like a necessity, no? Such an air of pretentiousness that fortunately starts to dissipate in the last 30 pages: conveniently enough, the point at which I was actually starting to enjoy it a bit!
On the one hand, Hotel Silence should be a lot longer as both its story and characters desperately need fleshing out. Yet on the other, even at a meagre 174 pages, reading this often felt like walking through treacle.
Not for me I’m afraid.