A review by sapphron
Idol by Louise O'Neill

dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

An interesting premise that was underdeveloped by subpar writing. The opening chapter hooked me in, but the next 90% was middling and overlong until the ending that, although predictable, hooked me back. I can't recommend it based on the bookend's strength as I considered DNFing after practically every chapter. I'm too much of a sucker for a mystery which is why I powered through the dull middle. 

The author has commentary on wellness "CULT"ure, cancel culture, capitalist wokeness, and how women can hurt women, but her execution to comment on it beyond a tweet-like slogan was disappointingly shallow through weak and cliche characterization. The overall prose was often clunky and at the low level of YA or a cheap streaming movie. However, the overall story did leave me to reflect on the concept of one's truth and the truth and how we may reframe memories to reflect the image we make of ourselves that can overpower our true reflection and absolve accountability. I'm conflicted on what to truly rate this as I'm glad to have read this book for the introspection it triggered, but it wasn't worth the hours spent reading it. 
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