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A review by subvino
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was well-written and I loved the premise. The ending wasn't wholly unpredictable (I basically had it pieced together a little over 2/3 through and I'm no genius), but I enjoyed watching the protagonist slowly come to grips with it. I'm writing a short review mostly addressing the criticism I've seen for this book because that same criticism put me off of this book for a few years and now that I've finished it, I'm mad I waited this long to give it a shot.
I agree with the criticism of some of the dialogue being unnatural, but if I'm being honest, I OFTEN feel like dialogue reads as unnatural in a lot of the books I read, especially if the author is verbose or otherwise descriptive. To me, the writing elsewhere in the book makes up for it. Another critique I've seen is that it's overly literary and inaccessible. I liked how all the references tied in to the format of the story and as you read, it all feeds into the characters of Blue and Gareth. It felt apt, and not over my head in any way.
A lot of reviews I've read were saying how this was much worse than Night Film - I read Night Film first and I have to say I liked this a lot more. I was much more easily submerged into the world painted by Pessl in this work versus Night Film, and I didn't hate the characters like I did in Night Film. It can be frustrating watching Blue stumble around the truth for a while, but remember, this book is about a naive teenager that is quite sheltered, despite her intelligence.
Finally, a large amount of reviews mentioned being bitter about the author being young and pretty and getting an advance for this book... say what? Ouch. Not sure of the relevance there. Maybe leave that chip in your shoulder out of your review, fellow random Goodread-ers.
I agree with the criticism of some of the dialogue being unnatural, but if I'm being honest, I OFTEN feel like dialogue reads as unnatural in a lot of the books I read, especially if the author is verbose or otherwise descriptive. To me, the writing elsewhere in the book makes up for it. Another critique I've seen is that it's overly literary and inaccessible. I liked how all the references tied in to the format of the story and as you read, it all feeds into the characters of Blue and Gareth. It felt apt, and not over my head in any way.
A lot of reviews I've read were saying how this was much worse than Night Film - I read Night Film first and I have to say I liked this a lot more. I was much more easily submerged into the world painted by Pessl in this work versus Night Film, and I didn't hate the characters like I did in Night Film. It can be frustrating watching Blue stumble around the truth for a while, but remember, this book is about a naive teenager that is quite sheltered, despite her intelligence.
Finally, a large amount of reviews mentioned being bitter about the author being young and pretty and getting an advance for this book... say what? Ouch. Not sure of the relevance there. Maybe leave that chip in your shoulder out of your review, fellow random Goodread-ers.