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A review by sharonleavy
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
A sanatorium, hidden out of the way to house TB patients, lies high in the Swiss mountains. Developers eventually turn it into a fancy, modern hotel, but not before it causes a lot of controversy - least of all the disappearance of one of architects in charge of the redesign.
Wet blanket Elin & her wet blanket husband Will rock up to the hotel where Elin's estranged brother is celebrating his engagement to Laure, a woman they've known since childhood. There's clearly history between Elin & Laure, but like everything else in this godforsaken book, it's implied rather than specified. Things start to happen, people start to get attacked or worse, then an avalanche hits and nobody can get in or out. But oh! Joy! Elin is a police officer! So naturally, she somehow ends up in charge of the entire investigation all while working through her own trauma.
This had so much potential - the gas masks are so creepy, the setting is terrifying even before you bring the mystery in, and the notion that people could be stuck in a hotel up the mountains with a potential murderer is honestly one of the scariest things imaginable. Why, then, is this so unsatisfying? I wish I hadn't bothered with it.
Wet blanket Elin & her wet blanket husband Will rock up to the hotel where Elin's estranged brother is celebrating his engagement to Laure, a woman they've known since childhood. There's clearly history between Elin & Laure, but like everything else in this godforsaken book, it's implied rather than specified. Things start to happen, people start to get attacked or worse, then an avalanche hits and nobody can get in or out. But oh! Joy! Elin is a police officer! So naturally, she somehow ends up in charge of the entire investigation all while working through her own trauma.
This had so much potential - the gas masks are so creepy, the setting is terrifying even before you bring the mystery in, and the notion that people could be stuck in a hotel up the mountains with a potential murderer is honestly one of the scariest things imaginable. Why, then, is this so unsatisfying? I wish I hadn't bothered with it.