A review by priscilla
The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill

dark reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book was such a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, the writing and the voice are really strong and flow (ironically) like water. It's sooo easy to get through these pages and get sucked up by the story and the pretty wording. But on the other hand the themes were hammered on so often and so explicitly, with the text explaining exactly to the reader what to think instead of letting us do the work ourselves, that it fell flat for me. I like the feminist angle, but i would rather have had it shown to me than told. If more time had been spent actually fleshing out the characters and the moments between them, as well as showing the logic of the world in action more, I would've liked this book a whole lot more.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings