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A review by ashleysue75
The Treatment by Mo Hayder
2.0
This one is DARK. Trigger warnings galore.
For the most part it did hold my attention (although I found myself skimming multiple times) and I wanted to see how things played out, but I was very disappointed by the big reveal (felt extremely manipulative), the ending (one of the bleakest I’ve read), and the reprehensible behavior of the protagonist.
The subject matter is horrific in and of itself, but it felt like the author was focused on pure shock value rather than any interest in bringing to light the awful reality of child sexual abuse. The bad guys felt like caricatures, as if pedophiles couldn’t possibly look or behave like average people. The characters weren’t likable and their motivations and behaviors often felt unrealistic. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, particularly the way the author chose to finalize one important storyline. Wishing I’d left this one on the shelf.
For the most part it did hold my attention (although I found myself skimming multiple times) and I wanted to see how things played out, but I was very disappointed by the big reveal (felt extremely manipulative), the ending (one of the bleakest I’ve read), and the reprehensible behavior of the protagonist.
The subject matter is horrific in and of itself, but it felt like the author was focused on pure shock value rather than any interest in bringing to light the awful reality of child sexual abuse. The bad guys felt like caricatures, as if pedophiles couldn’t possibly look or behave like average people. The characters weren’t likable and their motivations and behaviors often felt unrealistic. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, particularly the way the author chose to finalize one important storyline. Wishing I’d left this one on the shelf.