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A review by jsncnrd
Anyone's Ghost by August Thompson
3.0
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
This one was a letdown, unfortunately. I'm not sure if I read the same book that the 5-star reviewers did? Because it just did not do it for me. Maybe the praise I'd seen for it had me go into the book with unrealistic expectations.
On paper, this book is everything I love -- a gritty story about longing, loss, grief, and pain, guaranteed to make its readers cry. Not only did I not cry, but I was just ready to finish it when Part 3 rolled around.
I really didn't connect with the characters, and when I DID connect with Theron, it was in very brief instances. Jake was not a likeable character. A liar, a cheater, and a manipulator. It was hard to root for Theron and Jake's relationship when they were so toxic for one another and their friendship itself felt unhealthy, unsafe, and so brief that its significance almost seems overinflated. It also commits the sin of "telling" and not "showing" when it comes to their supposed love for one another. It felt like I was supposed to believe they truly loved each other because we were told to.
The book approaches the topic of suicide, but does so in a very cursory manner for a book in which it is supposed to be an important element. Drug use was central to the plot, but the topic of addiction was barely explored. A book with this tone and this plot is an excellent place to do a deeper dive into these topics than it did, and it felt like a missed opportunity.
The prose and writing itself was at times quite lovely and impressive -- but the issue I had was that at other times it felt very contrived and manufactured.
By no means was it a BAD book -- it is a decent story, but the elements and components of it all just did not add up to anything groundbreaking or earth-shattering for me personally.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy of the book in exchange for a review!
This one was a letdown, unfortunately. I'm not sure if I read the same book that the 5-star reviewers did? Because it just did not do it for me. Maybe the praise I'd seen for it had me go into the book with unrealistic expectations.
On paper, this book is everything I love -- a gritty story about longing, loss, grief, and pain, guaranteed to make its readers cry. Not only did I not cry, but I was just ready to finish it when Part 3 rolled around.
I really didn't connect with the characters, and when I DID connect with Theron, it was in very brief instances. Jake was not a likeable character. A liar, a cheater, and a manipulator. It was hard to root for Theron and Jake's relationship when they were so toxic for one another and their friendship itself felt unhealthy, unsafe, and so brief that its significance almost seems overinflated. It also commits the sin of "telling" and not "showing" when it comes to their supposed love for one another. It felt like I was supposed to believe they truly loved each other because we were told to.
The book approaches the topic of suicide, but does so in a very cursory manner for a book in which it is supposed to be an important element. Drug use was central to the plot, but the topic of addiction was barely explored. A book with this tone and this plot is an excellent place to do a deeper dive into these topics than it did, and it felt like a missed opportunity.
The prose and writing itself was at times quite lovely and impressive -- but the issue I had was that at other times it felt very contrived and manufactured.
By no means was it a BAD book -- it is a decent story, but the elements and components of it all just did not add up to anything groundbreaking or earth-shattering for me personally.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy of the book in exchange for a review!