A review by onceandfuturereads
Sleeping Dogs by Sonya Hartnett

challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Granted, it may be because of the short length, but to me this book reads like an immature parable. Because we never really get to know the characters beyond surface descriptions, the stakes are never known, and that makes for a monotonous read. Some of the important plot points appear to contradict themselves. At its base, this is a story about a group of precocious siblings who are so attached to their strange home that they can hardly imagine leaving it. And yet, they have a moved around a lot - a detail seemingly added in order to intensify their strangeness. I am definitely going to read more Sonya Hartnett - I like her dark themes and soft prose - but this story could have been constructed more thoughtfully. 
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