Retro Review: If We Were Villains

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

3 stars. I have mixed feelings about this book. There’s so much Shakespeare, which I absolutely loved. It compares quite adequately to The Secret History and its other lookalikes, which I also loved. It’s fast-paced, well-rounded and well-written. But it isn’t perfect and, I’m sorry to say, I was left unsatisfied. 

First issue - can anyone explain Richard’s escalating behavior in Act I? In my experience, people don’t change quite that dramatically without some sort of catalyst - drug abuse, adult onset bipolar disorder, SOMETHING. From the beginning, Richard felt like a plot device, his tantrums ultimately unexplained. It just didn’t feel natural, to me.

Second issue - one of the fantastic elements of The Secret History is its believability. Donna Tartt took pages and pages and pages to build a sturdy foundation so by the time we get to the murder, it feels like an act within the realm of what we’d expect from our characters. And listen, I’m happy to suspend realism for the sake of a good story. But the fact that six people completely readjusted their moral compasses on exactly the same night after a man demonstrated mentally ill - antagonistic, aggressive, scary, but mentally ill nonetheless - behavior for, what, several weeks? After years of friendship? Does not compute. For me, at least.

Third issue - about ¾ of the way through the book I shut it and whispered “first world problems.” This has been noted in other reviews, but these characters are privileged, ignorant and exhibit totally skewed perspectives. This may be explained by the whole “blame everything on Shakespeare” theme, and I actually buy that, in away. I’m certain that the school formed a bubble in which these people lived and perceived things and made decisions. But it really did seem … beyond dramatic. Melodramatic.

Fourth issue - all of this could’ve been solved had people just slept with whom they were attracted. Yeah, this is all basically just a giant case of romantic self-sabotage. Everybody’s cockblocking each other and using each other for sex and everything could’ve been prevented had the characters been honest with themselves. And look, truthfully, I don’t think I’m looking at this objectively. These people’s approach to courtship and sex and love don’t match my experiences at all. I don’t know anything about anything that transcends lust - transcends love even - enough to believe Oliver’s actions. I guess the characters felt like teenagers saturated with hormones (not unlike Romeo and Juliet?) rather than 20-something college students. 

WAIT, IS THAT THE POINT?! Did I just stumble on the whole damn point? These people spent so much time playing Shakespeare’s exaggerated, overemotional characters that they became exaggerated and overemotional themselves? HMMMM.

Alright, well, I feel bad now. I enjoyed this. I really did. M.L. Rio is incredibly talented and I have a huge crush on her. I want to learn from her - I want to learn how she thinks and what she knows and how she writes. I want to bond with her on things like Shakespeare and drama and Big Themes. But, as always, to thine own self be true, and If We Were Villains just felt a little empty, to me.

If We Were Villains on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: Security

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

3 stars. The grand opening of a state-of-the-art resort approaches, and someone is determined to stop it. In this twisty thriller, readers will witness a gruesome and relentless murder spree through the eyes of the hotel's new and advanced security system - an unusual point of view that lends itself to many surprises.

As someone who has read countless thrillers and can pretty much predict twists and turns chapters before they happen, I found the plot of this book to be very boring. BUT. I really enjoyed the perspective from which this story was told. We don't know anything about our observer until the last quarter of the book, when we can finally piece the clues together and discover the truth. It's weird but intriguing - and by the end, I was more desperate to find out the fate of the observer more than the fate of those he observed throughout the entire book.

It's a fascinating creative exercise. As readers, we must constantly ask ourselves - does appearance fit reality? can we trust our narrator? can we trust our own impressions of what's happening in the story? are we watching things unfold from an unbiased perspective? And here - despite being spoon-fed tiny details about our narrator - we really have no idea. Is he good? Is he bad? Is he even alive? Is he a piece of artificial intelligence? It's all a mystery.

Also fascinating - when characters who are not even remotely admirable have an admirable purpose. Our narrator here (as it turns out) is obsessive and overly protective of the object of his affection - I mean, creepy doesn't even cover it. AND YET. He desires - almost above anything else - to save the object of his affection from a terrifying threat. It's confusing. And interesting. Very unique.

I guess I was a little too caught up in how the story was told over the story itself. I like an unreliable narrator. And in this book, the concept was applied with a great twist. Read for the point of view. It's different.

Security on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: Maestra

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

5 stars. So, Maestra tells the story of Judith Rashleigh, art expert and expert murderess. She spends her days toiling away as a junior employee at an art house and her nights at a creepy hostess bar being paid to satisfy customers with her company. Upon discovering her shady boss’ shady fraud scheme, Judith goes on a rampage of sorts - a sweaty spree hopping from country to country leaving dead bodies and fake names in her wake. It’s wonderful and sneaky and fun. Maestra is zesty! It is zesty Italian with extra zing. The pace, the drama, the bloodshed, the sex - delightful - the most enjoyable reading experience I’ve had in a long time.

It certainly isn’t perfect; Judith displays some incredibly contradictory personality traits. It’s absolutely, one hundred percent unrealistic. It’s superficial. Still, there is strong writing in the “art parts,” which I found enjoyable and an interesting distraction from the somewhat rompy plot. 

Speaking of, I hope people weren’t too shocked. I didn’t find it that shocking, I just found it … open in ways other books aren’t. It’s constantly like, yeah, let’s go there, let’s open this door. I respect that. I admire it. It’s irresistible. I don’t know if it is feminist in the traditional sense of the word (though I hesitate to put parameters on that word), but it certainly expands upon a favorite topic of mine: complex, sexually aggressive women. More of that, please.

I can see the comparisons to Tom Ripley and Vicky Sharpe, but honestly, Judith feels like her own new thing. Is it wrong to say I relate to her? That I enjoyed watching her succeed? She channels that massive chip on her shoulder into getting exactly what she wants whatever the cost. It’s kind of impressive.

Maestra isn’t particularly profound, but it is profoundly entertaining. I can’t wait to read more, if for nothing else than the author’s expertise on a subject I love. Many individuals in the art world are - to quote a colleague of mine who spent years in the gallery business - “snooty,” and Hilton completely challenges that notion by creating a female character who is not only badass but also super, super emotionally into art. I loved it.

Maestra on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

3 stars. I didn't really like this. I was seduced by the creepy title and the promise of a dark thriller but all I got was a basic story told in weird increments. It was mediocre and predictable and while it kept me turning pages I just really didn't care.

There were a lot of annoying things about this book but the biggest, for me, had to be the protagonist. I know others have commented on her here and I would agree that she's just damn ridiculous. Consuming a story of any kind requires suspension of belief, and I'm willing to suspend a lot if the action is enjoyable and satisfying in its own way. But I'm really unwilling to believe that a girl was so traumatized by a pretty typical (yeesh, that may be misguided - common? fairly common?) romantic experience that it dictated every action years later. My favorite phrase, used by a reviewer above, is "psychologically improbable." Yeah, that just about covers it.

And it's the plot, too - everything's so campy and melodramatic and twisty in a way that simply isn't creative. It wasn't dark enough, for me. I mean, I was super unsettled by the fact that she even went to the stupid bachelorette party in the first place, but I was unsettled in a "oh, this narrator is really fucking dumb," and "a bachelorette party? I'd rather put a campfire out with my face" sort of way.

I read an interview with Ruth Ware in which she described this book as a combination of Agatha Christie and the Scream movies. Cool! What a fabulous concept. And also an extremely admirable goal. I am into it! I just don't think she got there, though, with this one. Poor execution. I'd like to read some of her other books and try her again, though.

In a Dark, Dark Wood on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: Before the Fall

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

3 stars. I'm a huge Noah Hawley fan. Fargo and Legion are so incredibly creative and engaging and strong, so obviously I opened Before the Fall with high expectations and a side-eye on the hype. And did it get there? Did it do it for me? Well, sort of.

I've been thinking a lot about Goodreads and social media and its impact on the book world, and I would agree with many that Goodreads "reviews" should really be called "reactions." If I were to "review" this book, I'd probably give it a higher score than if I simply "reacted." I mean look, critics loved this book. They raved about it. "Ingeniously nerve-racking" - New York Times. "Terrific thriller" - Washington Post. "Highly entertaining" - AP.

My purpose here is different, though. I just want to chat! I want to provide my opinion in an informal (lazy) manner without feeling the pressure to recommend or not recommend. I want to unpack and extrapolate to a certain degree but keep things firmly in the realm of "response" rather than "review."

Ugh, okay, back to the book: I just don't know. I loved the concept - I like group dissection stories in which a bunch of characters are introduced and we learn about them one-by-one. I liked the mystery and the social commentary and the insights about families and relationships. I liked that it starts with a plane crash and moves backward and forward to build the narrative. I was delighted by the cinematic details and the deep characterization for which Hawley is particularly well-known.

BUT, I didn't like the ending, so much, although it was the type of dark turn I normally really enjoy. I thought the political / entertainment industry satire fell a little flat. Overall, it lacked a spark, I think, for me. It lacked the special flavor that usually keeps me reading something like this. It just wasn't spicy enough! I'm still a huge Hawley fan (his work this season on Legion is triumphant), but as I said, this is just a solid sort of for me.

Before the Fall on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: The Night Manager

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

4 stars. The Night Manager tells the tale of a man named Jonathan Pine and his drive to bring down a rich criminal named Richard Roper. Pine infiltrates Roper's inner circle with the complicated support of the government, and - apologies for the old (yet appropriate) spy novel cliche - finds himself tangled in a web from which he will likely never escape.

This is one of those books that forced me to step back and say okay, regardless of how I feel about the story, it's an impressive piece of writing. Among the book's many merits, the dialogue stands out - it's perhaps the most spectacularly consistent use of colloquialism I've ever encountered (thanks to the italic emphasis on certain words, I could hear the British accents in my head). And the dedication to detail makes this book a bit of a project to get through; it required a certain amount of concentration I haven't needed since reading Shakespeare. That's not a complaint.

About the ending: I typically don't mind ambiguous endings. I really don't. Sometimes I find them to be much more satisfying than those that are wrapped up neatly in a bow. However, in this case, it felt like running a marathon for which there was no true finish line. Why dedicate so much time and energy to a story whose main plot line, ultimately, bears no real fruit?

Is that the point? That life, in the end, offers no rewards? That the bad guys go on being bad guys, and the good guys go on pretending they aren't bad guys, and the rest of us go on running in circles trying to figure out who is who? That's pretty bleak. That's a bitter piece of fruit, right there. Which is fine. But somehow it still felt like the ending diminished the story.

Maybe I'm a little unsatisfied because of something more specific. I don't mind a traditional villain's success as much as I mind a plague of unchecked office weasels taking over the earth. Like, I'll take Voldemort over Dolores Umbridge any day. The bureaucratic buttheads were simply a nightmare for someone like me, whose office is rife with tangled power plays and control for the sake of control. I wanted to see those ego-driven, political maniacs nailed to the wall for their pointless trifling. Sigh. I think this says a lot about me: that truthfully, I'm fine with Roper going free. But I'm not fine with the buttheads winning.

This was a really interesting read. It had a little bit of everything; some very, very good writing. I'm not sure I would recommend it, exactly, but I have no regrets about seeing it through.

The Night Manager on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: The Silent Patient

4 stars.

Hello. I am one cocktail in. I read this in one sitting on the beach today. This review is going to be LIT. 

Ugh, it's all about the twist, isn't it?

I predicted it about 5 pages prior to the big reveal (after not predicting Mystic River, I'm REALLY off my game!) and here's the thing: I liked it. It clicked for me. In a good way. I feel like we complain a lot about twists - we act like predictability is like, a giant error and somehow ruins a book? No. I'm not someone who is bothered by spoilers because watching two puzzle pieces fit together is satisfying for me regardless of my level of surprise/shock.

Anyway.

The Silent Patient is about a psychotherapist, Dr. Theo Faber (I loooove the name Theo), who becomes obsessed with helping/fixing/curing a mysterious patient named Alicia Berenson. Alicia, a formerly successful painter, was institutionalized after being charged with the murder of her husband, immediately after which she stopped talking. Dr. Theo launches a pseudo-investigation to determine what really happened the night she shot her husband in the head five times. Throughout the book we learn concurrently more about her and the good doctor himself before the rug is ripped from under us per usual.

The writing here is really solid. I recently realized that I prefer and love short, concise chapters, and these are delightfully dainty. It's a pageturner, and really compelling, so you won't be able to put it down. It reminded me a tad of The Woman in the Window, which I enjoyed, or maybe The Girl on the Train? At least in terms of some ambiguous vibes coming from our narrator. The point is - if you are a fan of those types of books, you will enjoy this. If you are not, you won't. 

There's a lot of hype around this book, and it reminds me of the hype around many other releases similar to this. Because it's similar to those. I wouldn't say there's necessarily anything super special about it, but it's not bad. Good writing, good plotting, good twist. There's some really weird narrow-minded stuff about therapy, and some very unrealistic medical stuff, but it is what it is. I'll take that popcorn please.

Beach read win!!

The Silent Patient on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: Cross Her Heart

4 stars. I see why there were mixed reactions to this book. Yes, it's completely ridiculous and unrealistic and perhaps even predictable for those of us well-versed in the twists and turns of psychological thrillers. But look, I think I may have liked it for those reasons...? I really enjoyed turning the pages of this one, I really felt the drive to keep going. The writing was great, the characters were distinct and the ending was surprisingly satisfying.

Cross Her Heart is a multiple-POV thriller with flashbacks. In short, concise chapters (which I personally love), Sarah Pinborough tells the story of Lisa and her daughter Ava and how they cope when they are threatened by a seriously masterful villain from Lisa's past. The story unfolds through the eyes of Lisa, Ava and Lisa's best friend Marilyn, each of whom has secrets of their own. It's a classic, twisty, fast-paced mystery with a heart-stopping (if somewhat tidy) conclusion.

As others have pointed out, things do feel a bit forced here. Characters have questionable motivations. Characters fall in love after one date. Characters are generally stupid, fooled and tricked into scenarios I could see coming a mile away. But this is a popcorn book, and I was willing to suspend belief just to let the intensity of the story wash over me. It's a tight plot, you have to admit. Maybe it's cliche at times, but the writing is solid. And there are some fantastic girl power moments.

Maybe you will see it coming. Maybe you won't. Just enjoy the ride. I've certainly read worse.

Cross Her Heart on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: Stillhouse Lake

4 stars. My heart is officially racing. 

Stillhouse Lake begins when Gina Royal, housewife and mother of two, discovers that her husband has a secret. A huge, life-altering, sadistic secret. Not a spoiler: he's a prolific serial killer who carries out his crimes in the garage of their family home. When he's finally arrested and stopped, Gina must work to rebuild her life while keeping her family safe from a world that wants revenge. 

She thinks she's finally safe at Stillhouse Lake. It's a small, remote town in Tennessee and she reluctantly settles in knowing her kids could use some stability. And then (typical), a body shows up. Gina has to fight off death threats on a daily basis, now she has to deal with suspicion from the police plus a new copycat murderer. It's a thrilling pageturner with a gut punch of a climax.

Gina is an excellent and well-written character and perhaps the anchor that steadies this twisty turny story. I found her mama bear instincts to be smothering and so annoying but also heartwarming and justified. Caine explores the horrific impact of cyberbullying, internet culture, even dipping her toes into the true crime obsession, adding an interesting and unusual layer of threat for our heroine to deal with. 

Gina also, quite frankly, has no use for men. I really, really, really noticed and loved that. Men are in the story: she meets a few, gets close to one, saves his life, and takes down others as needed, but really, this is her world and the men are just there to fuck up. HA. So just like in real life. I admire Rachel Caine for achieving this so deftly, for taking such a feminist approach.

Gina’s two children, Lanny and Connor, are also well-written. Both have agency and interests and speak in distinct voices. Like their mother, they are traumatized, which I think can be difficult to portray in young people without using cliches. And their presence in the story is nuanced - sometimes they bring humor, or love, or extra fear to the story, sometimes Lanny is a typical irritating teenager and sometimes Connor is naive. They felt like real kids, to me.

Alright, so, this is a thriller, of course there's a twist or two. I happened to predict them early. That's okay. It was still an immensely enjoyable read. I would recommend this for fans of Jane Harper - both craft concise, character-driven thrillers with awesome villains and intense action sequences. And yeah, THAT ENDING. I want more.

Stillhouse Lake on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: Red Sparrow

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

3 stars. In some ways this is a very typical spy novel full of technical tradecraft, desk-thumping, breasts and a whole lot of America fuck yeah!! Pure male fantasy. Also, I don’t trust the author’s portrayal of a Russian woman. Or of Russia, actually. I'm sure Jason Matthews tried to be fair and inclusive, but if I were Russian I think I'd be slightly offended with how cleanly the story came across as good vs evil. Matthews basically spells out for us his theories on Putin and Russia and the political resentment pitting these two countries against each other and ... it's just too simple.

Also, men: a woman should never, ever be blamed for the fact that you are attracted to her. Jesus.

But there is some surprisingly delicate, beautiful writing here - the element of Dominika’s color clairvoyance, for example, was lovely. I liked the recipes! The caricatures of U.S. politicians and bureaucrats felt astoundingly real. Sure, the romance was predictable and boring and melodramatic, but it earns three stars for an engaging, interesting plot and a tight story.

Red Sparrow on: Amazon | Goodreads