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A review by nose_in_a_book
Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
No 🌶️
Light spoilers as in talking about high level elements without details.
This author is a very talented writer. Her character work is exquisite, creating complex characters who don’t mind contradicting traits. I loved the way that she didn’t shy away from the ugly side of anyone, least of all our main character. I don’t know that anyone, no matter how minor of a player, walks away without at least one flaw.
I also love how this book explores generational trauma. The insidious nature it takes on in this book is visceral and chilling in a way that trauma so often is. Turning it into a mythical beast offered a digestible way to unpack it. I wish she had leaned into that aspect rather than trying to make it a murder mystery because that aspect of the book was easily its weakest.
The answers seemed pretty obvious from the beginning and for me when that happens, I’m no longer reading for the answer, I’m reading for the threads. I want to watch as everything slowly comes together. That didn’t happen here. Instead we had large swaths of nothing happening, just atmospheric plot meant to insinuate danger. It’s effective in creating setting but not in actually forming a mystery. Keeping the reader in the dark is empty calories. It’s addictive up front but it can’t be my whole diet.
It is a shame because the times where I did learn something new had me brimming with more questions. There are so many pockets of intrigue I would have rather spent more time in rather than investigating fruitlessly. The diaries, for instance, would have been so fun to see continued into when the kids were alive. Or spending more time with the other siblings really filling out the details of their lives.
Overall, I think this book is definitely worth a read and would especially be good as a book club book because there’s a lot to unpack. I look forward to reading her other work.
Light spoilers as in talking about high level elements without details.
This author is a very talented writer. Her character work is exquisite, creating complex characters who don’t mind contradicting traits. I loved the way that she didn’t shy away from the ugly side of anyone, least of all our main character. I don’t know that anyone, no matter how minor of a player, walks away without at least one flaw.
I also love how this book explores generational trauma. The insidious nature it takes on in this book is visceral and chilling in a way that trauma so often is. Turning it into a mythical beast offered a digestible way to unpack it. I wish she had leaned into that aspect rather than trying to make it a murder mystery because that aspect of the book was easily its weakest.
The answers seemed pretty obvious from the beginning and for me when that happens, I’m no longer reading for the answer, I’m reading for the threads. I want to watch as everything slowly comes together. That didn’t happen here. Instead we had large swaths of nothing happening, just atmospheric plot meant to insinuate danger. It’s effective in creating setting but not in actually forming a mystery. Keeping the reader in the dark is empty calories. It’s addictive up front but it can’t be my whole diet.
It is a shame because the times where I did learn something new had me brimming with more questions. There are so many pockets of intrigue I would have rather spent more time in rather than investigating fruitlessly. The diaries, for instance, would have been so fun to see continued into when the kids were alive. Or spending more time with the other siblings really filling out the details of their lives.
Overall, I think this book is definitely worth a read and would especially be good as a book club book because there’s a lot to unpack. I look forward to reading her other work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism, Infidelity, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
I put racism as moderate because there wasn’t a lot of blatant moments or slurs used but it is a frequent topic brought up in how people interact with the main family and the characters around them and their interactions with the cops also touch on racism. I am white though so i could be mislabeling the severity of the topic.