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A review by btwnprintedpgs
Huge by Brent Butt
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Huge was a huge (ha!) surprise. Brent Butt is a Canadian screen writer, actor, and creator of Corner Gas - a campy comedy series about living in the middle of nowhere with nothing much to do. The fact that his debut novel was a mystery/thriller was totally out of left field. That it focused on 90s comedy was less of a surprise, but instead a pleasant view into that era of comedy and the three main characters an interesting snapshot of the times.
Dale is a washed up comic from the US in desperate need of a few thousand to fund his daughter's college tuition; Rynn is an up-and-coming comic from Ireland who's on the road up; and Hobie is new to the scene and ready to impress. I found their different perspectives helped build out the world and the times, particularly Dale's experience and jadedness and Rynn's optimism. Hobie, I feel, was more of a mystery at the start, with most of his character being built by Dale and Rynn's POV. That being said, once we're in his head, we're in it and the moving train never stops.
The book does a great job of building a sense of dread. There's an element of mystery to the murder we see at the start, but the perpetrator is fairly obvious. However, where the story goes and how deep into the psychology we get into it gave me the jeebies. If you like the discomfort of stepping into a broken mind, this is definitely the book for you, as it envelops you in the psyche of a killer. Butt did a fantastic job with this aspect of the story, and I'm still trying to shake it off.
Though it plays into some stereotypes and is a bit hokey at times, this was a strong debut by Brent Butt into the literary world!
TW: death, fire injury, torture, injury detail, domestic abuse, violence, parental abandonment, kidnapping, murder, car crash, child abuse; mentions death of an animal
ARC gifted by @penguinrandomca in exchange for an honest review.
Dale is a washed up comic from the US in desperate need of a few thousand to fund his daughter's college tuition; Rynn is an up-and-coming comic from Ireland who's on the road up; and Hobie is new to the scene and ready to impress. I found their different perspectives helped build out the world and the times, particularly Dale's experience and jadedness and Rynn's optimism. Hobie, I feel, was more of a mystery at the start, with most of his character being built by Dale and Rynn's POV. That being said, once we're in his head, we're in it and the moving train never stops.
The book does a great job of building a sense of dread. There's an element of mystery to the murder we see at the start, but the perpetrator is fairly obvious. However, where the story goes and how deep into the psychology we get into it gave me the jeebies. If you like the discomfort of stepping into a broken mind, this is definitely the book for you, as it envelops you in the psyche of a killer. Butt did a fantastic job with this aspect of the story, and I'm still trying to shake it off.
Though it plays into some stereotypes and is a bit hokey at times, this was a strong debut by Brent Butt into the literary world!
TW: death, fire injury, torture, injury detail, domestic abuse, violence, parental abandonment, kidnapping, murder, car crash, child abuse; mentions death of an animal
ARC gifted by @penguinrandomca in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Child abuse, Abandonment, Torture, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal death