Take a photo of a barcode or cover
anapau24601 's review for:
Grey Dog
by Elliott Gish
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a weird one.
I was engaged enough throughout to finish it, but I think it was a little slow, in general. It always felt like it was picking up momentum but never fully reaching anything concrete. I liked Miss Byrd as a character enough, liked her interactions with the children and Agatha the most, but it felt like suddenly that was all thrown to the side to pursue the more supernatural aspect of the book.
And while I am as much of a fan as the next person of stories about women losing their minds and refusing to submit to gender stereotypes and expectations, in this particular novel it felt just a little off. When things began to go wrong for her, when the town turned on her, was because she was literally not showering and being a bad teacher so I had a hard time empathizing I guess.
There were so many elements here that I found so interesting, like the dynamics and conservatism of little rural towns, being queer in the early 20th century, the perception of the "mad woman". But for some reason most of it felt a little undercooked to me, to feel a full impact.
I still really enjoyed it. The writing is beautiful and haunting and attests to the fact that while I felt like there wasn't a big enough climax for all the build up the book had, I still felt compelled enough to keep reading.
I was engaged enough throughout to finish it, but I think it was a little slow, in general. It always felt like it was picking up momentum but never fully reaching anything concrete. I liked Miss Byrd as a character enough, liked her interactions with the children and Agatha the most, but it felt like suddenly that was all thrown to the side to pursue the more supernatural aspect of the book.
And while I am as much of a fan as the next person of stories about women losing their minds and refusing to submit to gender stereotypes and expectations, in this particular novel it felt just a little off. When things began to go wrong for her, when the town turned on her, was because she was literally not showering and being a bad teacher so I had a hard time empathizing I guess.
There were so many elements here that I found so interesting, like the dynamics and conservatism of little rural towns, being queer in the early 20th century, the perception of the "mad woman". But for some reason most of it felt a little undercooked to me, to feel a full impact.
I still really enjoyed it. The writing is beautiful and haunting and attests to the fact that while I felt like there wasn't a big enough climax for all the build up the book had, I still felt compelled enough to keep reading.