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adreynoso 's review for:
A Beautiful Crime
by Christopher Bollen
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A case where the overly descriptive text, a jumbled structure, frustrating lack of focus with the POV, and a main character that lacks any sympathy or awareness make for a lackluster read. The twists were too obvious and the inability to stay rooted in the actual present when avoiding the use of internet or technology in general hinder what could have been a fun read.
The story focuses on Nick and Clay as they try to achieve a fairly simple con a deserving target and traces how they got to this point.
The structure was jarring, in how the first couple of chapters follow Nick and his arrival to Venice before switching to Mew York and his past relationship with Ari, before switching back to Venice in Clay’s POV. The shifts don’t really have any flow and the lack of cohesion works to the story’s detriment.
The problem with the split narrative is that it highlights the novels flaws. Nick is the most annoying protagonist I’ve read in a while. He’s self centered and clueless and almost narcissistic to a point. And despite the love he says he has for Clay, he acts on his most greedy impulses. He laments having to hide his relationship with Clay, but this is because he’s cheating on his boyfriend with him or having to go along with the con HE came up with. I don’t mind a flawed, messed up character, but Nicks lack of awareness and his aw shucks behavior makes him even more annoying. And the fact that we never really see him learn something. His arc feels incomplete and undeserving. I was actively rooting against any kind of happy ending for him.
On the other side of it, Clay took a second to warm up to, but he was the far more interesting character. I didn’t want to leave his chapters. I appreciated his story with Freddy and understood his issues with West. Even his love for Nick, I could go along with it even if I didn’t get it. I do agree with other reviews that the novel only skimmed the surface the issues he had due to his race and it never really went any deeper with how his struggles as a Black gay man.
And while I understand the richness of Venice as a character of its own, it seemed obsessed with hitting you over the head with obsession with the Italian town. This story could have been streamlined by excising the pages of unneeded elaborate description. Especially if the town was only gonna barely factor into the story. It felt like we were hearing the antagonists own descriptions of the city.
The other weird component was how this story was set in 2020, and yet still seemed like it was set in the early 2000s. The lack of research or use of the internet made the plot holes feels too glaring. Setting in the past may have worked to enhance the novel.
The twists were broadcast a little too easily and Nick should not have been a primary focus. The story was okay, but you can tell the author really wanted to write a story more in line with Freddy’s generation and maybe that would have been the better route.
The story focuses on Nick and Clay as they try to achieve a fairly simple con a deserving target and traces how they got to this point.
The structure was jarring, in how the first couple of chapters follow Nick and his arrival to Venice before switching to Mew York and his past relationship with Ari, before switching back to Venice in Clay’s POV. The shifts don’t really have any flow and the lack of cohesion works to the story’s detriment.
The problem with the split narrative is that it highlights the novels flaws. Nick is the most annoying protagonist I’ve read in a while. He’s self centered and clueless and almost narcissistic to a point. And despite the love he says he has for Clay, he acts on his most greedy impulses. He laments having to hide his relationship with Clay, but this is because he’s cheating on his boyfriend with him or having to go along with the con HE came up with. I don’t mind a flawed, messed up character, but Nicks lack of awareness and his aw shucks behavior makes him even more annoying. And the fact that we never really see him learn something. His arc feels incomplete and undeserving. I was actively rooting against any kind of happy ending for him.
On the other side of it, Clay took a second to warm up to, but he was the far more interesting character. I didn’t want to leave his chapters. I appreciated his story with Freddy and understood his issues with West. Even his love for Nick, I could go along with it even if I didn’t get it. I do agree with other reviews that the novel only skimmed the surface the issues he had due to his race and it never really went any deeper with how his struggles as a Black gay man.
And while I understand the richness of Venice as a character of its own, it seemed obsessed with hitting you over the head with obsession with the Italian town. This story could have been streamlined by excising the pages of unneeded elaborate description. Especially if the town was only gonna barely factor into the story. It felt like we were hearing the antagonists own descriptions of the city.
The other weird component was how this story was set in 2020, and yet still seemed like it was set in the early 2000s. The lack of research or use of the internet made the plot holes feels too glaring. Setting in the past may have worked to enhance the novel.
The twists were broadcast a little too easily and Nick should not have been a primary focus. The story was okay, but you can tell the author really wanted to write a story more in line with Freddy’s generation and maybe that would have been the better route.