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A review by laura__reads
Der Übergang by Justin Cronin
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I can't believe I finally read this after it'd been on my shelf for 5 years.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it IS very long without having to be. Some parts were super slow - especially in the beginning, there were some moments that were totally irrelevant (like that guy from prison who talks about how he had to use the bathroom on his way to prison for 3 pages? I don't care!). Some things were explained too much and could have instead been summarized, while I felt like other things were explained a bit too little. Also, I was a bit confused sometimes because there were so many characters and the POV sometimes switched within chapters and there were random time jumps as well.
I liked the second half, even thoug was also a bit slow and I think some things that happened later weren't that relevant - the story could have continued without some of the difficulties the characters faced. I think when you write a book this big, you have to relativize: what really brings the plot forward, and what doesn't?
Personally, I didn't find this book creepy, I would even say that, for the most part, especially in the second half, it is very character-driven, like a literary fiction novel. I didn't mind, I actually liked the literary dystopian vibe of the second half, but sometimes this caused the slow pacing of the story.
I did like the characters for the most part (though I do think they could've been more diverse, considering how many there were).
So, overall, this is a good story that, in my opinion, could have used some cuts.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it IS very long without having to be. Some parts were super slow - especially in the beginning, there were some moments that were totally irrelevant (like that guy from prison who talks about how he had to use the bathroom on his way to prison for 3 pages? I don't care!). Some things were explained too much and could have instead been summarized, while I felt like other things were explained a bit too little. Also, I was a bit confused sometimes because there were so many characters and the POV sometimes switched within chapters and there were random time jumps as well.
I liked the second half, even thoug was also a bit slow and I think some things that happened later weren't that relevant - the story could have continued without some of the difficulties the characters faced. I think when you write a book this big, you have to relativize: what really brings the plot forward, and what doesn't?
Personally, I didn't find this book creepy, I would even say that, for the most part, especially in the second half, it is very character-driven, like a literary fiction novel. I didn't mind, I actually liked the literary dystopian vibe of the second half, but sometimes this caused the slow pacing of the story.
I did like the characters for the most part (though I do think they could've been more diverse, considering how many there were).
So, overall, this is a good story that, in my opinion, could have used some cuts.