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himpersonal 's review for:
The Family Experiment
by John Marrs
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Most of the book was mediocre for me. A lot of disconnected stories following the families participating in a reality TV contest. Book was uninteresting until the winner is revealed, and then it finally got good - sort of.
I think the book is a bit too complicated - multiple timelines that seem linear until the reveal and then you realize they were actually asynchronous before and after that moment. And as events unfolded to show how the book came to be, it was still unsatisfying.
Appreciated the nod to The One. I found that book far more interesting. I think it was better written and more ethically relatable. The questions in this book feel a little overplayed in recent years, and it was too conspiratorial and muddled to keep the tension high. Did like that all the loops were closed in the end.
I think the book is a bit too complicated - multiple timelines that seem linear until the reveal and then you realize they were actually asynchronous before and after that moment. And as events unfolded to show how the book came to be, it was still unsatisfying.
Appreciated the nod to The One. I found that book far more interesting. I think it was better written and more ethically relatable. The questions in this book feel a little overplayed in recent years, and it was too conspiratorial and muddled to keep the tension high. Did like that all the loops were closed in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail