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A review by rwalker101
Memory Man by David Baldacci
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
jfc dude
Edit: Okay now that I've had time to sleep on it, I'm going to write a real review.
First, let me ask you a question.
If you are writing a book about a detective who can remember everything, except the incident that caused his remembering in the first place, where would you hide your killer in his memory? Perhaps in that self-same incident? Or would you do it in a random moment, out of a million random moments?
Which one is more narratively satisfying? And now which do you think Baldacci opted for?
Add on top of that Baldacci's attempt at a conversation surrounding American gender & identity politics (which is reductive and lacking nuance, even for a book published in 2015), and you'll get a book that disappointed me in every shape imaginable. Which is a real shame, because the first third was so tight. Tense, atmospheric, mysterious, all of the things a good thriller should be. But the unraveling of the mystery left me feeling disappointed, then bored, then frankly a little pissed off.
Rarely do I come away from books feeling I've wasted my time, but I've come away from this book feeling that I've wasted both my time and my sanity.
Edit: Okay now that I've had time to sleep on it, I'm going to write a real review.
First, let me ask you a question.
If you are writing a book about a detective who can remember everything, except the incident that caused his remembering in the first place, where would you hide your killer in his memory? Perhaps in that self-same incident? Or would you do it in a random moment, out of a million random moments?
Which one is more narratively satisfying? And now which do you think Baldacci opted for?
Add on top of that Baldacci's attempt at a conversation surrounding American gender & identity politics (which is reductive and lacking nuance, even for a book published in 2015), and you'll get a book that disappointed me in every shape imaginable. Which is a real shame, because the first third was so tight. Tense, atmospheric, mysterious, all of the things a good thriller should be. But the unraveling of the mystery left me feeling disappointed, then bored, then frankly a little pissed off.
Rarely do I come away from books feeling I've wasted my time, but I've come away from this book feeling that I've wasted both my time and my sanity.