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A review by troystory
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm... conflicted about this book. On one hand, there were a lot of things I really liked, but on the other hand, I felt a little disappointed at the end. I think that's probably because I came into this expecting a very dark academia style novel, like The Secret History perhaps, but it was more like a thriller with an academic setting. (Which wasn't utilized to its full potential, in my opinion, though I did adore the descriptions of Cambride. It made me miss the similar buildings in Oxford.)
The main thing I loved was the themes of this book: the trouble with romanticizing the past and especially people, the cycle of childhood abuse/trauma and its effects, obsession and paranoia, and how easy it is for us to cling onto certain things and dismiss, or outright deny, others. I also really liked the descriptions; I always felt like the mood was set just right, and I could feel myself transported into the story. There were some scenes that were incredibly suspenseful, which I think is pretty hard to do. Also, Fred, he's probably my favourite character. Well -- him and Clarissa.
The thing I didn't like about this book, which kind of took it down to only 4 stars for me, is that it felt like it was promising something that it ultimately wasn't about. Often, it lacked the real sense of stakes that a thriller should have, and even though the chapters were pretty short and to-the-point, it felt slow. I didn't get a sense that this was urgent, or even that Mariana was obsessed to the point of destruction.
(Side note: it's a really cool idea to have a therapist as your main character. What an interesting way to freshen up the unreliable narrator trope -- she knows a lot about people and their behaviour, but she projects her knowledge onto others to the point where she can't see obvious things about herself. So clever, and so well done!)
I think the plot twist at the end was good, and so sickening and disturbing that I felt physically ill when I was reading it, and it worked really well in the story. It tied things up nicely, and it made sense, and it provided a sense of closure that went beyond just solving the murder mystery. However, I'm a little disappointed that it didn't turn out to be Fosca in the end. He was obvious, sure, but I think it would've been so good to see how Mariana's obsession with proving his guilt ruins her -- if she knew he was actually guilty, and he got away with it, and she kept trying to prove it. It would've been an entirely different story, of course, but it might've been a little more riveting that way.
Otherwise, though, I think this is an excellent book. It's not a particularly thrilling thriller, and it didn't live up to the dark academia I thought it would be, but I feel like I can better appreciate the story now that I'm viewing it as separate from my expectations. Give it a shot; it's hard to put down, and I'm sure it's one of those stories that sticks with you for a while.
The main thing I loved was the themes of this book: the trouble with romanticizing the past and especially people, the cycle of childhood abuse/trauma and its effects, obsession and paranoia, and how easy it is for us to cling onto certain things and dismiss, or outright deny, others. I also really liked the descriptions; I always felt like the mood was set just right, and I could feel myself transported into the story. There were some scenes that were incredibly suspenseful, which I think is pretty hard to do. Also, Fred, he's probably my favourite character. Well -- him and Clarissa.
The thing I didn't like about this book, which kind of took it down to only 4 stars for me, is that it felt like it was promising something that it ultimately wasn't about. Often, it lacked the real sense of stakes that a thriller should have, and even though the chapters were pretty short and to-the-point, it felt slow. I didn't get a sense that this was urgent, or even that Mariana was obsessed to the point of destruction.
(Side note: it's a really cool idea to have a therapist as your main character. What an interesting way to freshen up the unreliable narrator trope -- she knows a lot about people and their behaviour, but she projects her knowledge onto others to the point where she can't see obvious things about herself. So clever, and so well done!)
I think the plot twist at the end was good, and so sickening and disturbing that I felt physically ill when I was reading it, and it worked really well in the story. It tied things up nicely, and it made sense, and it provided a sense of closure that went beyond just solving the murder mystery. However, I'm a little disappointed that it didn't turn out to be Fosca in the end. He was obvious, sure, but I think it would've been so good to see how Mariana's obsession with proving his guilt ruins her -- if she knew he was actually guilty, and he got away with it, and she kept trying to prove it. It would've been an entirely different story, of course, but it might've been a little more riveting that way.
Otherwise, though, I think this is an excellent book. It's not a particularly thrilling thriller, and it didn't live up to the dark academia I thought it would be, but I feel like I can better appreciate the story now that I'm viewing it as separate from my expectations. Give it a shot; it's hard to put down, and I'm sure it's one of those stories that sticks with you for a while.