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A review by peppypenguin
Anna O by Matthew Blake
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The storytelling in this thriller is so good and I genuinely enjoyed the ride, but it stumbled across the finish line in the last quarter.
The author did an excellent job of switching between character POVs, managing unreliable narration, and adding a neat twist that makes you rethink the way you've digested the entire story. Great, I loved it, couldn't put it down. I was questioning motivations and developing theories galore. It was exciting I loved it.
Then there is the final part where all is revealed in a lackluster explanatory unsatisfying narrative dump that I felt did not dive nearly enough into the final motivations of the character that we needed it from most. Based on the first twist I mentioned, it's logical that this is how it was done. It just wasn't entertaining and it felt like something was missing.
I also didn't care for the way some of the themes were handled, for example women in the spotlight and how their stories are determined by everyone except themselves. It was a bit heavy handed, with characters actually directly pointing these things out, pulling me out of the state of suspended disbelief.
Despite this feedback I do recommend this read because the ride is enjoyable. Other readers may also completely disagree with my sentiments about the ending!
The author did an excellent job of switching between character POVs, managing unreliable narration, and adding a neat twist that makes you rethink the way you've digested the entire story. Great, I loved it, couldn't put it down. I was questioning motivations and developing theories galore. It was exciting I loved it.
Then there is the final part where all is revealed in a lackluster explanatory unsatisfying narrative dump that I felt did not dive nearly enough into the final motivations of the character that we needed it from most. Based on the first twist I mentioned, it's logical that this is how it was done. It just wasn't entertaining and it felt like something was missing.
I also didn't care for the way some of the themes were handled, for example women in the spotlight and how their stories are determined by everyone except themselves. It was a bit heavy handed, with characters actually directly pointing these things out, pulling me out of the state of suspended disbelief.
Despite this feedback I do recommend this read because the ride is enjoyable. Other readers may also completely disagree with my sentiments about the ending!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Suicide