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A review by thisotherbookaccount
The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton
4.0
A very timely book about a small cast of characters having to tolerate one another in a boarding house, not because of a pandemic but because there's a war going on outside. The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton was recommended to me as one of the must-read 'spinster fictions' out there. And since I love books about independent old people who are living happily on their own, thank you very much, I had high expectations going in.
I would say that The Slaves of Solitude does largely live up to my expectations. The small cast of characters are well described and do come alive on the page. There must be a German word for this, but I love stories that involve individuals who are perfectly happy with their status quo, only to have something — or someone — enter their lives and destroy that delicate balance. In this book, the disruption comes in the form of Vicki Kugelmann, who begins the story as our protagonist friend, only to turn into a usurper in this 'domestic thriller'.
Anyway, it's a fun little book that, for some reason, reminds me of a romantic comedy — but the good kind, like You've Got Mail or Sleepless in Seattle, and not like the myriad films that Matthew McConaughey made in the mid 2000s. The characters are good, the story doesn't overstay its welcome, the writing is functional — just a good time at the Rosamund Tea Rooms.
I would say that The Slaves of Solitude does largely live up to my expectations. The small cast of characters are well described and do come alive on the page. There must be a German word for this, but I love stories that involve individuals who are perfectly happy with their status quo, only to have something — or someone — enter their lives and destroy that delicate balance. In this book, the disruption comes in the form of Vicki Kugelmann, who begins the story as our protagonist friend, only to turn into a usurper in this 'domestic thriller'.
Anyway, it's a fun little book that, for some reason, reminds me of a romantic comedy — but the good kind, like You've Got Mail or Sleepless in Seattle, and not like the myriad films that Matthew McConaughey made in the mid 2000s. The characters are good, the story doesn't overstay its welcome, the writing is functional — just a good time at the Rosamund Tea Rooms.