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imme_van_gorp 's review for:
In the Absence of Light
by Adrienne Wilder
There were things about this that I really liked, but there were also things I really didn’t. I kind of felt like the book was divided into two separate parts that truly should not have been put together. It felt odd that they were, and it threw me off a little bit.
The part I loved in this book was everything that was related to Morgan. I was interested to find out more about his past, his personality, his autism, his tics, his everyday life, and I just generally wanted to know everything that he was thinking. We never got his POV, but all of his scenes were without a doubt my favourite. They had something quite beautiful about them, but they were often also very humorous and fun. Morgan is definitely a super intriguing character, and I think his ‘abnormal’ psyche was what gave this book its special feel.
I was also pretty invested in his relationship with Grant. It was sweet and intense, but also a bit troubling sometimes, since Grant did have some issues with Morgan’s autism. Grant found it difficult to accept Morgan’s independence at times, as he was prone to want to baby him or think that Morgan was incapable to do certain things. This was the main focus of their issues, and I found it very realistic and a little sad. That’s not to say Grant didn’t respect Morgan, though: he definitely did. He adored Morgan, and he thought he was wondrous and magical. He saw him as something you should cherish, yet his prejudices never truly went away.
The part I did not like, however, was the whole plot involving the FBI and random criminal businesses Grant had been involved in prior to the book. A major part of this storyline also involved Grant’s ex-boyfriend Jeff, who was an undercover FBI agent. There was lots of betrayal and drama between them, and Jeff really wanted Grant back, but also needed information from him.
Honestly, it was all just very annoying and frustrating. It didn’t feel like this story belonged in an emotional drama/romance about an autistic man and the person who fell in love with him despite the odds. The two parts just really clashed with each other, and I couldn’t be bothered with the FBI/criminal storyline. I wish we only got the parts with Morgan, and all this other stuff had went away. I didn’t care for it.
I also have to say that I wasn’t a big fan of the writing-style: it was a bit drawn-out and sometimes I felt a little lost. The writing didn’t bother me all the time, but overall it did slightly take away from my enjoyment.
Nonetheless, I did find this book interesting and different. Would I have made a lot of changes if I could? Yes, definitely. But I still liked what we got, and just for Morgan’s story and character alone, I was thinking about giving it 4 stars, but then the ending just focused way too much on the FBI storyline, and I almost felt cheated out of a meaningful ending for Morgan. He really took a backseat to the plot or even to Jeff. I didn’t like that, and thus couldn’t give those 4 stars.
I definitely preferred the beginning and middle of this book over the end.
The part I loved in this book was everything that was related to Morgan. I was interested to find out more about his past, his personality, his autism, his tics, his everyday life, and I just generally wanted to know everything that he was thinking. We never got his POV, but all of his scenes were without a doubt my favourite. They had something quite beautiful about them, but they were often also very humorous and fun. Morgan is definitely a super intriguing character, and I think his ‘abnormal’ psyche was what gave this book its special feel.
I was also pretty invested in his relationship with Grant. It was sweet and intense, but also a bit troubling sometimes, since Grant did have some issues with Morgan’s autism. Grant found it difficult to accept Morgan’s independence at times, as he was prone to want to baby him or think that Morgan was incapable to do certain things. This was the main focus of their issues, and I found it very realistic and a little sad. That’s not to say Grant didn’t respect Morgan, though: he definitely did. He adored Morgan, and he thought he was wondrous and magical. He saw him as something you should cherish, yet his prejudices never truly went away.
The part I did not like, however, was the whole plot involving the FBI and random criminal businesses Grant had been involved in prior to the book. A major part of this storyline also involved Grant’s ex-boyfriend Jeff, who was an undercover FBI agent. There was lots of betrayal and drama between them, and Jeff really wanted Grant back, but also needed information from him.
Honestly, it was all just very annoying and frustrating. It didn’t feel like this story belonged in an emotional drama/romance about an autistic man and the person who fell in love with him despite the odds. The two parts just really clashed with each other, and I couldn’t be bothered with the FBI/criminal storyline. I wish we only got the parts with Morgan, and all this other stuff had went away. I didn’t care for it.
I also have to say that I wasn’t a big fan of the writing-style: it was a bit drawn-out and sometimes I felt a little lost. The writing didn’t bother me all the time, but overall it did slightly take away from my enjoyment.
Nonetheless, I did find this book interesting and different. Would I have made a lot of changes if I could? Yes, definitely. But I still liked what we got, and just for Morgan’s story and character alone, I was thinking about giving it 4 stars, but then the ending just focused way too much on the FBI storyline, and I almost felt cheated out of a meaningful ending for Morgan. He really took a backseat to the plot or even to Jeff. I didn’t like that, and thus couldn’t give those 4 stars.
I definitely preferred the beginning and middle of this book over the end.