A review by finneon_james
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Listen, it's a weird book. 
It's a mystery, but we all know the answer to the mystery as soon as we pick it up. It's right there in the title.
When I read it, I try to imagine reading it at the time of publication, without the cultural saturation of Phantom in modern day, and let myself be strung along the mystery: could the mysterious angel of music really be one and the same as the alleged opera ghost?? 

It's a fun thriller, but at its core it is a book that asks the question, "what if a guy had a facial deformity?" And answers "probably a serial killer." 
(It does delve deeper into his backstory and clarify "probably a serial killer because of everyone treating him badly due to his facial deformity" but there's still plenty of "he is abjectly evil and you can tell because of his face")

It's one of those books that you've got to take for what it is, and, moreso, for what it was when it was published.

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