swatswatwhat's reviews
52 reviews

The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan

4.0

Beautifully written and drew me in right from the first page. Sure the protagonists are strange and frustrating (not very likeable characters) but loved the rekindling of their boring and strained relationship. There was light sinister tone throughout the book that continued to pull you in. Some of the plot points are non-sensical but nevertheless a great, quick read.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

2.5

Writing style was almost too descriptive, everything was over explained, characters were reintroduced way too often … very odd. All four stories were predictable and the ending was summarized with the theme too neatly. Felt like a story written by a new writer in a traditional style of a beginning, middle and end. The end felt like a conclusion statement.

Disappointed as I’ve heard great things about this novel (was looking forward to crying) but I did find it hard to put down as the premise of time travel and the magical realism
was interesting.