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A review by fuguballoon
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.
I had to stop reading after the second outing (homophobia). It was too upsetting.
This is a character-driven novel, but ironically, most of the reader's insight into the characters comes via external action. I think the author was much better at writing Ned, the main male character, than any of the women. Some of the women's choices just didn't have the same clear motivations as Ned, and their characters were less consistent. (My pet peeves were Betty and Florence, who both read as classic narcissistic parents, but magically became thoughtful when it was convenient to the story, which--if you know any real narcissistic parents--is not a thing.)
Even so, this book wasn't badly written on a craft level. I just couldn't stomach the homophobia, and from reading the other reviews, it sounds like it was only going to get bleaker the rest of the way.
This is a character-driven novel, but ironically, most of the reader's insight into the characters comes via external action. I think the author was much better at writing Ned, the main male character, than any of the women. Some of the women's choices just didn't have the same clear motivations as Ned, and their characters were less consistent. (My pet peeves were Betty and Florence, who both read as classic narcissistic parents, but magically became thoughtful when it was convenient to the story, which--if you know any real narcissistic parents--is not a thing.)
Even so, this book wasn't badly written on a craft level. I just couldn't stomach the homophobia, and from reading the other reviews, it sounds like it was only going to get bleaker the rest of the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Outing, and Homophobia
Minor: Domestic abuse