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A review by tac107
The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler
5.0
I thought I wasn't going to like this book because I didn't like a single character in it, even a little. The adults are all myopic and useless and the teenage characters are hopelessly pretentious. You would definitely not want to hang around these kids in real life.
And yet, I stayed up late to finish this book in one day because it was so gripping. You learn the end in a very casual way at the beginning, and you have to figure out how you get there. I admit that I figured out the plot twist in advance but it did not, in any way, dilute the story. It still felt satisfying when I got to the conclusion. The characters get what they deserve in the end - all of them. The book is written in such a twisting and turning way that you pick up crumbs of the plot and hints of what's to come as you go, but never in a way that makes you want to stop reading.
And yet, I stayed up late to finish this book in one day because it was so gripping. You learn the end in a very casual way at the beginning, and you have to figure out how you get there. I admit that I figured out the plot twist in advance but it did not, in any way, dilute the story. It still felt satisfying when I got to the conclusion. The characters get what they deserve in the end - all of them. The book is written in such a twisting and turning way that you pick up crumbs of the plot and hints of what's to come as you go, but never in a way that makes you want to stop reading.