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A review by selendrea
Penpal by Dathan Auerbach
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Penpal has a story with a lot of potential at its core. The non-chronological structure and distinct chapters are an interesting idea, but I'm unsure of whether the entire novel was executed well enough to justify this non-traditional story telling technique. The ending felt quite anticlimactic, and I feel that this book is an example of an author overcomplicating a simple story.
There were several passages and descriptions that were well written, but these were vastly outweighed by clunky, amateur writing. Auerbach has a tendency to use overly simple sentence structure in combination with fluffy, Thesaurus-inspired language, which is an odd juxtaposition. Much of the prose feels very "matter-of-fact" and devoid of personality, much like the characters in this book. It felt as if the author was simply stating recollections rather than constructing an immersive narrative. This is such a shame. I found myself struggling to focus my attention on the long paragraphs that were too jam-packed with unnecessary detail.
I am questioning why Auerbach chose to make his main character so young - I can't imagine a child of that ageexploring the woods alone, building rafts, and swimming after sunset. He felt very cookie-cutter, like a vessel meant to experience the plot as opposed to a three dimensional character who drives the plot. Veronica was an unnecessary addition, and suffered from Girl Written By Man syndrome. All she did was be beautiful and giggle at the main character's jokes. Oh, and die!
Outside of these gripes, there is a nugget of enjoyable storytelling here, but I'm not convinced that these r/NoSleep posts translated to a novel format in a compelling way.
There were several passages and descriptions that were well written, but these were vastly outweighed by clunky, amateur writing. Auerbach has a tendency to use overly simple sentence structure in combination with fluffy, Thesaurus-inspired language, which is an odd juxtaposition. Much of the prose feels very "matter-of-fact" and devoid of personality, much like the characters in this book. It felt as if the author was simply stating recollections rather than constructing an immersive narrative. This is such a shame. I found myself struggling to focus my attention on the long paragraphs that were too jam-packed with unnecessary detail.
I am questioning why Auerbach chose to make his main character so young - I can't imagine a child of that age
Outside of these gripes, there is a nugget of enjoyable storytelling here, but I'm not convinced that these r/NoSleep posts translated to a novel format in a compelling way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail