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A review by kys831
No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I was a huge fan of Marshall's first book, What Lies In the Woods, so I was really excited for this one. Alas, this isn't her strongest. It starts off incredibly strong--we see some of the hallmarks present in WLITW (a scrappy heroine who with chronically low self-esteem and a partner/spouse so insidiously manipulative, so toxic and passive aggressive, that Marshall must, I'm sure, be writing from experience).
The plot is extremely compelling: family secrets, sisters, fake Satanic panic.
But I found the end of the book was extremely unsatisfying, even confusing. The answers of what happened that night are frustrating and, somehow, the twist doesn't feel earned.
There are so many consecutive "ok, here's what really happened" scenes from different POVs dripping small pieces of information that when the book FINALLY establishes the truth (sort of), you're just tired from having run through all these alternate scenarios that made sense but apparently didn't happen. The determination to have a pretty complex set of twists and side plots came at the expense of further exploration of these fantastic characters.
The good: The characterization is realistic and strong-- each sister copes with her situation in her own way. And this is definitely a page turner. But by the end, the book employs this "is what actually happened really that impt? idk lol" vibe that I didn't care for. We needed more insight into the girls' mother instead of wondering at her potential motivations. And the fraud/police corruption angle was really underdeveloped.
So enjoyable and compelling to read but the end fell flat for me. But I'm still a fan of Marshall and will definitely read her next books.
The plot is extremely compelling: family secrets, sisters, fake Satanic panic.
But I found the end of the book was extremely unsatisfying, even confusing. The answers of what happened that night are frustrating and, somehow, the twist doesn't feel earned.
There are so many consecutive "ok, here's what really happened" scenes from different POVs dripping small pieces of information that when the book FINALLY establishes the truth (sort of), you're just tired from having run through all these alternate scenarios that made sense but apparently didn't happen. The determination to have a pretty complex set of twists and side plots came at the expense of further exploration of these fantastic characters.
The good: The characterization is realistic and strong-- each sister copes with her situation in her own way. And this is definitely a page turner. But by the end, the book
So enjoyable and compelling to read but the end fell flat for me. But I'm still a fan of Marshall and will definitely read her next books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship