A review by lcronin0815
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I wanted to like this book so much but it just fell a little flat for me and was very middle of the road for me. I thought that writing was find and the pace of the book would have been good if I hadn’t have listened to it on audiobook. The two things that bugged me with this book were the description of Julia’s character, especially when she was younger, and the fact that everyone was some shade of awful. 

First, one of the major take-aways from Julia‘a character is describe as being fat and it is only seen in a negative “Look at her- what a disgusting fat person”. It just seems too much when you have repeated people describing another person, and more specifically a CHILD, as being a disgusting outcast just because of her weight. 

Second- There is a review that does better job explaining this but there isn’t anyone in this book that is victim or villain. There aren’t any middle of the road characters and everyone seems to have a big secret to the point of it being a little forced. 

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