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harrirebekah 's review for:
The Coward
by Jarred McGinnis
2.5 stars ⭐️
The Coward follows the story of Jarred, estranged from his father, still grieving the loss of his mother and learning to live following a car accident which leaves him bound to a wheelchair.
Examining themes of masculinity, loss, coming of age, relationships and of course living with a disability, it is not an easy read and there are plenty of moments of shade.
I found Jack and Sarah’s characters very well written overall. I felt I understood their lives and the way they acted, as well as what brought them to this point.
As a protagonist I found Jarred incredibly hard to like and resonate with. I found his quips and rudeness towards others about his new disability very honest and refreshing and it made me check my privilege. However, how he acts in some parts of the book really did make it hard for me to like him.
The structure of the book was also something I struggled with as it jumps from present to past throughout, constantly introducing new characters and settings which was just a little too confusing for a fairly short story where not that much actually happens or changes after the first 100 pages.
I also wish the author had elaborated more on the accident. How it happened, the aftermath, was the other driver hurt or charged and also what happened to Melissa? How did she die and what about her family who were raising a court case?
I think a lot of loose ends needed tying up at the end of this book. But instead the ending just left me feeling like it was unfinished. The ending is really blunt and just let me down. I was about to round this review up to 3 stars, but just couldn’t justify it after the ending unfortunately.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book to review.
The Coward follows the story of Jarred, estranged from his father, still grieving the loss of his mother and learning to live following a car accident which leaves him bound to a wheelchair.
Examining themes of masculinity, loss, coming of age, relationships and of course living with a disability, it is not an easy read and there are plenty of moments of shade.
I found Jack and Sarah’s characters very well written overall. I felt I understood their lives and the way they acted, as well as what brought them to this point.
As a protagonist I found Jarred incredibly hard to like and resonate with. I found his quips and rudeness towards others about his new disability very honest and refreshing and it made me check my privilege. However, how he acts in some parts of the book really did make it hard for me to like him.
The structure of the book was also something I struggled with as it jumps from present to past throughout, constantly introducing new characters and settings which was just a little too confusing for a fairly short story where not that much actually happens or changes after the first 100 pages.
I also wish the author had elaborated more on the accident. How it happened, the aftermath, was the other driver hurt or charged and also what happened to Melissa? How did she die and what about her family who were raising a court case?
I think a lot of loose ends needed tying up at the end of this book. But instead the ending just left me feeling like it was unfinished. The ending is really blunt and just let me down. I was about to round this review up to 3 stars, but just couldn’t justify it after the ending unfortunately.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book to review.