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A review by katreads2022
Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
I am unpleasantly not surprised to see this pretentious book top the list of best books of 2021. I was intrigued by the unique setting of the book in the Hague and was promised some sort of diplomatic and/or linguistic quandary. Instead this book primarily focuses on an overdone romance plot with a exceptionally boring love interest. The tragedy of all this is that this book had the makings of an excellent novel that could explore the inner-workings of a global justice system or the complex role of being an interpreter. Such potential washed away in favour of a bland love dynamic—although I would be hesitant to assign the relationship as being emotional of any kind.
Even if one is not particularly looking for the intrigue I was expecting from this book, it is not rewarding in the slightest. The characters are not fleshed out whatsoever. Whenever the narrator starts to talk about something interesting she immediately switches to talking about Adriaan, quite possibly the most uninteresting character I have read. There’s no plot to this story; no payoff. Minor choices like omitting quotation marks hinder the flow of writing—but I will withhold from it factoring until my rating because of the controversy of that literary choice. I truly have few words to describe this book because of the mere fact it was stuffed with fluff and minimal substance. The remaining stars are left to mark the above-average prose.
Even if one is not particularly looking for the intrigue I was expecting from this book, it is not rewarding in the slightest. The characters are not fleshed out whatsoever. Whenever the narrator starts to talk about something interesting she immediately switches to talking about Adriaan, quite possibly the most uninteresting character I have read. There’s no plot to this story; no payoff. Minor choices like omitting quotation marks hinder the flow of writing—but I will withhold from it factoring until my rating because of the controversy of that literary choice. I truly have few words to describe this book because of the mere fact it was stuffed with fluff and minimal substance. The remaining stars are left to mark the above-average prose.