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A review by paperbacksandpines
Method 15/33 by Shannon Kirk
4.0
I enjoyed the starkly uncompromising a>Method 15/33. I picked this book up based on the recommendation of Booktuber Harriet Rosie . I was hoping to read a unique suspenseful thriller that avoids many of the themes that thrillers have been using in the wake of the Gone Girl and The Woman on the Train phenomenon. Personally, I preferred The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Woman in the Window to the trendsetters mentioned above. Thankfully, Method 15/33 was in a category all of its own.
Initially, I was a bit apprehensive picking up the book. When I looked inside the jacket, the font was about size 22 on the inside front of the book jacket and even larger on the inside back of the jacket, which seemed a clear attempt to fill up space. It seems like the synopsis could have been more detailed or this space could have been used to include recommendations from other authors.
The aspect of the book I enjoyed the most was the fact that our young protagonist was not reliant upon a man to get her out of the precarious situation in which she found herself. Most fairy tales and movies find a woman in a sticky situation wholly dependent on someone stronger, braver, or cleverer to save them. What makes Lisa, our main character, even more remarkable is that she is a 16-year-old, relying completely on her wits, resources, and “assets” to save herself. She used these assets from the moment of her kidnapping to start gathering intel and devising an escape strategy.
At first, I couldn’t really define who or what Lisa was. Was she a savant? A sociopath? As the story went on, though, and Lisa interacted with her captors and recalled past events in her life, I began to better understand her. The author did an excellent job building her layers.
My critique, a small one, was that I didn’t really care what happened after the trial. My interest in the book was in following the plot through the climax. I just wasn’t that interested in Lisa’s future life with her husband and child. I didn’t really have any interest in her son. I would’ve liked to be left to my own devices in imagining Lisa’s future.
The building action in the story was captivating and enough to hold my interest. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen in the end! The tension built slowly towards the climax and I was on the edge of my seat.
Initially, I was a bit apprehensive picking up the book. When I looked inside the jacket, the font was about size 22 on the inside front of the book jacket and even larger on the inside back of the jacket, which seemed a clear attempt to fill up space. It seems like the synopsis could have been more detailed or this space could have been used to include recommendations from other authors.
The aspect of the book I enjoyed the most was the fact that our young protagonist was not reliant upon a man to get her out of the precarious situation in which she found herself. Most fairy tales and movies find a woman in a sticky situation wholly dependent on someone stronger, braver, or cleverer to save them. What makes Lisa, our main character, even more remarkable is that she is a 16-year-old, relying completely on her wits, resources, and “assets” to save herself. She used these assets from the moment of her kidnapping to start gathering intel and devising an escape strategy.
At first, I couldn’t really define who or what Lisa was. Was she a savant? A sociopath? As the story went on, though, and Lisa interacted with her captors and recalled past events in her life, I began to better understand her. The author did an excellent job building her layers.
My critique, a small one, was that I didn’t really care what happened after the trial. My interest in the book was in following the plot through the climax. I just wasn’t that interested in Lisa’s future life with her husband and child. I didn’t really have any interest in her son. I would’ve liked to be left to my own devices in imagining Lisa’s future.
The building action in the story was captivating and enough to hold my interest. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen in the end! The tension built slowly towards the climax and I was on the edge of my seat.