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gwenswoons 's review for:
The Night We Lost Him
by Laura Dave
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pretty generic, boring thriller (though definitely light on the thrills) — somehow it got even less interesting as it went along for me and just felt so continuously slow and draggy in the pacing. I think the best part of the book itself was the relationship arc between the narrator and her brother, but the romantic storylines and the multiple timelines and the weird post-death reckoning with flawed parenting just all felt so heavy-handed and overdone. The “mystery” itself felt tedious and somehow without a lot of importance/investment. I liked Julia Whelan’s narration (as always), but will not read more by Laura Dave.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism