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A review by leoniekross
I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
Recap:
Boarding school crime mystery is a genre I enjoy a lot. In this, Bodie Kane, a successful podcaster, comes back to her old high school under the guise of holding a class about podcasting while sorting through her memories about a murder that took place there her junior year. The investigation was famously botched and Bodie questions whether the real perpetrator is in jail.
The book is divided into 2 parts, the first dealing with her arrival at her old school and creating a podcast with students to explore questions about the case. The second part deals withthe retrial of the convicted suspect . Mixed into the narrative are sections showing flashbacks to Bodie's school days as well as lists of similar, publicly known, often casually brushed aside instances of misogyny and sexism in the American justice system and in the everyday lives of women - often concluding in their murder.
Review:
After reading a few books with the same boarding school setting, I was excited to start this one, hoping it would go heavier on the sleuthing and lighter on the trauma. Well, better luck next time. I wish Makkai had leaned wayyyy more into the detectiving aspect. I wanted old secrets burried in the walls, sneaky interviews with old staff, an actual amateur investigation. What I got was Bodie extensively internally ruminating on what other people had discovered. Throughout, she remained a passive onlooker who gave unimportant, drawn-out context about her peers from back in their school days. That was her whole role in this.
I think the author should have done away with Part 1 entirely and have Bodie be confronted with her old biases and assumptions about people during the court hearing. Her old classmates would have been in town for that, we could have had flashbacks triggered by run-ins w her former peers and we would have gotten a far better sense of their relationships and prejudices against one another. We didn't need Bodie to be at school and walk w her step by step as she inspires a student podcast abt the case. This was so irrelevant and could have easily been background info given in a couple of pages. That way the book would have had a much clearer direction. As is, it feels muddled.
While the writing style is mostly easy and engaging, there is simply too much of it. 100 pages could have been cut easily.
I did like the cast of characters though. Most of them were only superficially explored but they were likable and believable.
The book tried to discuss the issues of crime/punishment/innocence/the court of public opinion by looking at it from a few different angles. And as commendable as that effort is, it bloated the story. The storyline abtBodie's ex husband , for example, added little, had no relevant consequences and only managed to take away from the main plot, thus uncomfortably (unnecessarily) centering white feminism.
I wished there had also been a conclusion to the gimmick of Bodie narrating the whole story to a specific character. Maybe the end would have revealed it was all a podcast episode or a post-court private conversation. But no, there was seemingly no reason other thanto clunkily misdirect the reader's suspicions .
Generally, I was missing a conclusion to some plotlines. But I have a feeling that was a deliberate choice. Many of the plotlines begin somewhere, intertwine, stay for a bit, fade out. Sort of like the book was mimicing how these events go in real life. I enjoyed that when it came to friendships & relationships. Not so much the main story (the court hearing, the misdirect, the actual reveal) though. The endings of those were too open and unfinished for it to be a satisfying read.
Tl;dr:
A mixed bag.
Would recommend for people who enjoy ruminations on their teen years and fucked up high school reunions.
Recap:
Boarding school crime mystery is a genre I enjoy a lot. In this, Bodie Kane, a successful podcaster, comes back to her old high school under the guise of holding a class about podcasting while sorting through her memories about a murder that took place there her junior year. The investigation was famously botched and Bodie questions whether the real perpetrator is in jail.
The book is divided into 2 parts, the first dealing with her arrival at her old school and creating a podcast with students to explore questions about the case. The second part deals with
Review:
After reading a few books with the same boarding school setting, I was excited to start this one, hoping it would go heavier on the sleuthing and lighter on the trauma. Well, better luck next time. I wish Makkai had leaned wayyyy more into the detectiving aspect. I wanted old secrets burried in the walls, sneaky interviews with old staff, an actual amateur investigation. What I got was Bodie extensively internally ruminating on what other people had discovered. Throughout, she remained a passive onlooker who gave unimportant, drawn-out context about her peers from back in their school days. That was her whole role in this.
I think the author should have done away with Part 1 entirely and have Bodie be confronted with her old biases and assumptions about people during the court hearing. Her old classmates would have been in town for that, we could have had flashbacks triggered by run-ins w her former peers and we would have gotten a far better sense of their relationships and prejudices against one another. We didn't need Bodie to be at school and walk w her step by step as she inspires a student podcast abt the case. This was so irrelevant and could have easily been background info given in a couple of pages. That way the book would have had a much clearer direction. As is, it feels muddled.
While the writing style is mostly easy and engaging, there is simply too much of it. 100 pages could have been cut easily.
I did like the cast of characters though. Most of them were only superficially explored but they were likable and believable.
The book tried to discuss the issues of crime/punishment/innocence/the court of public opinion by looking at it from a few different angles. And as commendable as that effort is, it bloated the story. The storyline abt
I wished there had also been a conclusion to the gimmick of Bodie narrating the whole story to a specific character. Maybe the end would have revealed it was all a podcast episode or a post-court private conversation. But no, there was seemingly no reason other than
Generally, I was missing a conclusion to some plotlines. But I have a feeling that was a deliberate choice. Many of the plotlines begin somewhere, intertwine, stay for a bit, fade out. Sort of like the book was mimicing how these events go in real life. I enjoyed that when it came to friendships & relationships. Not so much the main story (the court hearing, the misdirect, the actual reveal) though. The endings of those were too open and unfinished for it to be a satisfying read.
Tl;dr:
A mixed bag.
Would recommend for people who enjoy ruminations on their teen years and fucked up high school reunions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Infidelity, Death, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Child death, and Eating disorder