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A review by lanternsjourney
Antioch by Jessica Leonard
5.0
Antioch is one of those books that has you furiously flipping pages to find out what happens at the end and then you immediately seek out who else has read it to talk about it. Bess, the main character, lives in a small town, is unreliable, playing at being a detective, is obsessed with conspiracy theories (particularly about Amelia Earhart) and is a bit of a loner. The entire book I felt her confusion, panic, anxiety, and dread. Sometimes I actually was confused, but not in a bad way. It was the way the author wanted me to feel. However, I panicked even more when I reached the last chapter and I still had no clue how it was going to come together. It kept me guessing to the last pages and even though I still have a few questions, I really liked this insane journey to Antioch.
Update: I originally had this rated as 4 stars, but after thinking about it a while and talking about it, I realize this deserves nothing less than 5 stars. For me, this book was like Shirley Jackson's work. My initial reaction was a little upset, and then the wheels just kept turning in my head, and turning, and turning... and I think that Jessica Leonard was 100% intent on doing that to the reader. I will be reading this one again.
Update: I originally had this rated as 4 stars, but after thinking about it a while and talking about it, I realize this deserves nothing less than 5 stars. For me, this book was like Shirley Jackson's work. My initial reaction was a little upset, and then the wheels just kept turning in my head, and turning, and turning... and I think that Jessica Leonard was 100% intent on doing that to the reader. I will be reading this one again.