Josh Krysak
Gatsby comes to mind reading this dense drama set amongst the lobstermen and the striving middle and upper class of small town Maine. Enjoyable and revealing, I was struck by the rich writing and the steady sense of foreboding. I was less than impressed with the mixture of first and third person, as well as the choppy and mostly nonexistent chronology, which, for me, felt like a cheap act to elevate the novel to something “more” when it is really quite good without writing gimmicks and literary hooks.
*3.5 stars. This was fun for a decent portion but unfortunately, as the body count goes up, it descends into some hokey, gore-filled madness and the heavy-handed approach to the conceit, which is certainly worthy of exploration, kind of dulled the impact. Additionally the characters are pretty darn thin. Still, I had fun, for the most part, zipping through this.
*4.5 stars. This wasn't perfect but pretty darn close. It was beautiful, haunting, and riveting.
Stories that are equal parts thoughtful and melancholic expertly interwoven in unique high-stakes situations appear to be Brooks-Dalton's wheelhouse. I gave her debut novel four stars this one four and a half creeping toward five. I cannot wait to read what she writes next.
Yu's exploration of race and class and what it means to be an American is unique, heartfelt and funny. I zipped through this book, but didn't miss several passages tucked away throughout of beautiful writing and deep meaning about family and love and striving and what it means to be alive. Loved it.
*3.5 stars. Perfectly pleasant popcorn novel with minimal character development and plenty of suspenseful and twisty moments. Pease hints at larger ambitions with a handful of passages that mined deeper into trauma, addiction, PTSD and depression, but ultimately settles for a trope-ey suspense novel that was a fast, mostly enjoyable read.
