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A review by jsncnrd
Providence by Craig Willse
3.0
First -- thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (and their very kind publicity staff member!) for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review. When I read the synopsis, I was intrigued, and knew I needed to read it.
A few positives first — there was an underlying sense of dread and anxiety that made me, as a reader, incredibly curious to continue reading. The writing itself was very good, and I enjoyed the prose. The atmosphere was very unsettling, which is so important in thrillers. Willse did an excellent job of setting everything up.
Providence started out very promising. There was some good work with the exposition as we eased into the main plot. Mark was being established, and we understand immediately that he's a symbol of unhappiness, stuck in a life that he once felt would be fulfilling. The themes of unhappiness, stagnancy in life, and the need to feel alive were present throughout the book, and I thought they were used well.
Unfortunately, a lot of the plot ended up falling flat. It almost felt like a collection of scenes that created a story, but weren't that meaningful.
The book was labeled a thriller, but there were honestly no thriller elements until the final 3 chapters of the book. There were some psychological thriller elements here and there, but they were minimal.
The characters were thinly developed in a book with a premise that would've benefitted significantly from stronger, more fleshed-out characters. The "gay murder" motif had so much potential, but I felt it wasn't explored as much as it could've been.
The problem I had was that the protagonist, Mark, wasn't likable or unlikeable. I was just completely indifferent towards him. And because I was indifferent toward him, I didn't care too much what would end up happening to him. I wanted more of Tyler -- he was dangerous, definitely, but we didn't get enough insight into him and what was going on his mind.
The ending was abrupt and provided minimal closure. We didn't get too much insight into the aftermath of the events, and "Part III" felt like an afterthought.
There were some good things about the book, as listed in the beginning of this review. Unfortunately, those positives felt overshadowed by the negatives.
A few positives first — there was an underlying sense of dread and anxiety that made me, as a reader, incredibly curious to continue reading. The writing itself was very good, and I enjoyed the prose. The atmosphere was very unsettling, which is so important in thrillers. Willse did an excellent job of setting everything up.
Providence started out very promising. There was some good work with the exposition as we eased into the main plot. Mark was being established, and we understand immediately that he's a symbol of unhappiness, stuck in a life that he once felt would be fulfilling. The themes of unhappiness, stagnancy in life, and the need to feel alive were present throughout the book, and I thought they were used well.
Unfortunately, a lot of the plot ended up falling flat. It almost felt like a collection of scenes that created a story, but weren't that meaningful.
The book was labeled a thriller, but there were honestly no thriller elements until the final 3 chapters of the book. There were some psychological thriller elements here and there, but they were minimal.
The characters were thinly developed in a book with a premise that would've benefitted significantly from stronger, more fleshed-out characters. The "gay murder" motif had so much potential, but I felt it wasn't explored as much as it could've been.
The problem I had was that the protagonist, Mark, wasn't likable or unlikeable. I was just completely indifferent towards him. And because I was indifferent toward him, I didn't care too much what would end up happening to him. I wanted more of Tyler -- he was dangerous, definitely, but we didn't get enough insight into him and what was going on his mind.
The ending was abrupt and provided minimal closure. We didn't get too much insight into the aftermath of the events, and "Part III" felt like an afterthought.
There were some good things about the book, as listed in the beginning of this review. Unfortunately, those positives felt overshadowed by the negatives.