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chummelcolla 's review for:
Dark Room Etiquette
by Robin Roe
I am a public librarian and received an advanced listener copy courtesy of libro.fm.
At its heart, this is a book about trauma and how it changes a person. Our protagonist, Sayers (Saye) Wayte is a privileged rich kid who lords over the social scene at his school and takes all he has for granted. Nothing much matters to him because he knows a life of comfort and ease has been planned out for him. He is often rude and even cruel to his peers.
The tables turn when Saye is abducted by a paranoid conspiracy theorist who believes Saye to be his long lost son. As days turn to weeks and months in captivity, Saye's sense of self erodes until he comes to think of himself as his captor's son, and his captor as his father. He regresses, losing the prideful sixteen-year-old and becoming the meek boy he needs to be to have even a chance at surviving. The narrative here is well written to reflect the time warping effect Saye experiences in the absence of normal reference points. Can Saye escape before he loses himself completely?
What I loved most about this novel is that it doesn't end when Saye is rescued, and the author devotes a large chunk of the narrative that follows to the rocky road to recovery. We get to see a lot of character growth and Saye has a real arc; through trial by fire, he comes out the other side a more caring person who appreciates all he took for granted before. I won't say too much about his friendships to avoid spoiling anything, but they play a huge role in his character development and recovery, and we get to see how they motivate him to live his life differently.
This was a compelling psychological thriller, a harrowing tale, and well-read by narrator Andrew J. Andersen. The attention to detail and psychological underpinnings of trauma make it a thoroughly believable story. Despite being very heavy, it is well balanced with moments of humor and love. I highly recommend this novel.
At its heart, this is a book about trauma and how it changes a person. Our protagonist, Sayers (Saye) Wayte is a privileged rich kid who lords over the social scene at his school and takes all he has for granted. Nothing much matters to him because he knows a life of comfort and ease has been planned out for him. He is often rude and even cruel to his peers.
The tables turn when Saye is abducted by a paranoid conspiracy theorist who believes Saye to be his long lost son. As days turn to weeks and months in captivity, Saye's sense of self erodes until he comes to think of himself as his captor's son, and his captor as his father. He regresses, losing the prideful sixteen-year-old and becoming the meek boy he needs to be to have even a chance at surviving. The narrative here is well written to reflect the time warping effect Saye experiences in the absence of normal reference points. Can Saye escape before he loses himself completely?
What I loved most about this novel is that it doesn't end when Saye is rescued, and the author devotes a large chunk of the narrative that follows to the rocky road to recovery. We get to see a lot of character growth and Saye has a real arc; through trial by fire, he comes out the other side a more caring person who appreciates all he took for granted before. I won't say too much about his friendships to avoid spoiling anything, but they play a huge role in his character development and recovery, and we get to see how they motivate him to live his life differently.
This was a compelling psychological thriller, a harrowing tale, and well-read by narrator Andrew J. Andersen. The attention to detail and psychological underpinnings of trauma make it a thoroughly believable story. Despite being very heavy, it is well balanced with moments of humor and love. I highly recommend this novel.