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books_inthewild 's review for:
In the Dark We Forget
by Sandra SG Wong
This book has been on my radar, as a debut novel from a Canadian author. However, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
I DID like the diverse characters, the different relationships & dynamics, and the building suspense. The unreliable narrator/main character definitely gave a more creepy, eerie, suspenseful tone that I enjoyed.
I think I overall it was a bit slow going (it needed another twist and some action thrown in) and I didn’t like that the ending left you wondering. I *think* I know “who did it”…. But it’s not completely clear.
I also wasn’t sure why every character needed to be described by their ethnicity or skin colour, regardless of their role in the book (the “Korean family” in the restaurant line, the black security guard, the Indigenous woman in the mall, etc etc etc etc…) I definitely appreciated learning more about Chinese culture and family dynamics, and I absolutely saw the need to point out stereotypes, racism and biases during Cleo’s interviews with police or her situations at work… but I felt it got very distracting to hear every single ethnicity of every person they passed on the street.
Overall I would still read more from Sandra SG Wong!
I DID like the diverse characters, the different relationships & dynamics, and the building suspense. The unreliable narrator/main character definitely gave a more creepy, eerie, suspenseful tone that I enjoyed.
I think I overall it was a bit slow going (it needed another twist and some action thrown in) and I didn’t like that the ending left you wondering. I *think* I know “who did it”…. But it’s not completely clear.
I also wasn’t sure why every character needed to be described by their ethnicity or skin colour, regardless of their role in the book (the “Korean family” in the restaurant line, the black security guard, the Indigenous woman in the mall, etc etc etc etc…) I definitely appreciated learning more about Chinese culture and family dynamics, and I absolutely saw the need to point out stereotypes, racism and biases during Cleo’s interviews with police or her situations at work… but I felt it got very distracting to hear every single ethnicity of every person they passed on the street.
Overall I would still read more from Sandra SG Wong!