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A review by venusmage
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
It’s a dull ghost story through 4/5ths of its length, then has a “shocking” twist that feels both out of left field and half-assed. With how silly the story here is, I wish the book leaned into the camp. Instead it takes itself seriously despite lacking atmosphere, scares, or complexity. There’s some good ideas - like the classism critiques and the entitlement of certain parenting styles - but ultimately doesn’t do anything with it. Instead it falls back on cliche and arguably sexist tropes that this author does not have the skill to pull off. A decently interesting setup and main character feels wasted here.
An additional nitpick is regarding the book’s art. This is coming from someone with a degree in the fine arts, so this may not bother the average reader, but it’s still worth mentioning. A big gimmick with this book is that it features many illustrations at the heart of the story’s mystery. Some childlike, others more mature and artistic. I think the childlike drawings serve their purpose fine enough while also being a little forgettable. The “better” drawings, though, took me out of the book’s world several times. In the book’s afterward the author interviewed the two artists. The more complex drawings are supposed to evoke a mixed media collage kind of feel - almost abstract (they specifically reference the astoundingly talented illustrator Dave McKean as inspiration) - but ultimately they look like amateur photoshop paint overs. They come off cheap and rushed rather than having an intentional artistic direction. From what little I read it seems the second artist is usually more of a designer and cover artist than an illustrator, and it unfortunately showed through here. His work on the cover looks great, but the interior art was so low quality I first mistook it as being done by a non-professional.
In the end, I’m sad to say the additional art in the book is a fun idea that really doesn’t add anything. The story isn’t enough to make the pictures feel like anything more than padding. I almost wonder if it would’ve been better if the author was forced to describe the artwork instead of showing it, to let the audience conjure something in their minds; but the book doesn’t have a lot of descriptive language that stands out enough for me to believe it would have worked, either.
An additional nitpick is regarding the book’s art. This is coming from someone with a degree in the fine arts, so this may not bother the average reader, but it’s still worth mentioning. A big gimmick with this book is that it features many illustrations at the heart of the story’s mystery. Some childlike, others more mature and artistic. I think the childlike drawings serve their purpose fine enough while also being a little forgettable. The “better” drawings, though, took me out of the book’s world several times. In the book’s afterward the author interviewed the two artists. The more complex drawings are supposed to evoke a mixed media collage kind of feel - almost abstract (they specifically reference the astoundingly talented illustrator Dave McKean as inspiration) - but ultimately they look like amateur photoshop paint overs. They come off cheap and rushed rather than having an intentional artistic direction. From what little I read it seems the second artist is usually more of a designer and cover artist than an illustrator, and it unfortunately showed through here. His work on the cover looks great, but the interior art was so low quality I first mistook it as being done by a non-professional.
In the end, I’m sad to say the additional art in the book is a fun idea that really doesn’t add anything. The story isn’t enough to make the pictures feel like anything more than padding. I almost wonder if it would’ve been better if the author was forced to describe the artwork instead of showing it, to let the audience conjure something in their minds; but the book doesn’t have a lot of descriptive language that stands out enough for me to believe it would have worked, either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Drug abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Classism, Sexism, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Racism