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museaway's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Giving this a five since I devoured it in about 24 hours. Stalking isn't a topic I typically read, but like the main character, I was intrigued by the standoffish person cloaked by email.
I did figure out who it was early on, although it was so simple, I figured I was wrong. I did not anticipate the second twist concerning the young woman's identity, which did understandably complicate things and made the secrecy a little more understandable. In reality, it's a ridiculous setup, but it was fun to watch unfold.
Structurally, I liked the way Hongmei would include a story about her childhood mid-scene as a summation of an email she had just sent. Sometimes in-scene flashbacks can be clunky but this novel had a quick pace and never stalled.
I didn't particularly like the main character but she was interesting, and while I would never have made the choices she did, it was fun to slip into someone else's head and see what would happen.
My favorite character was actually the best friend, Nini, who went from being a gold digger to a war protester. She had the best character development of the book and provided some necessary comic relief.
For someone looking for a thriller that will keep them guessing, this is not it. This is about people desperate to communicate and doing so through unconventional means.
I did figure out who it was early on, although it was so simple, I figured I was wrong. I did not anticipate the second twist concerning the young woman's identity, which did understandably complicate things and made the secrecy a little more understandable. In reality, it's a ridiculous setup, but it was fun to watch unfold.
Structurally, I liked the way Hongmei would include a story about her childhood mid-scene as a summation of an email she had just sent. Sometimes in-scene flashbacks can be clunky but this novel had a quick pace and never stalled.
I didn't particularly like the main character but she was interesting, and while I would never have made the choices she did, it was fun to slip into someone else's head and see what would happen.
My favorite character was actually the best friend, Nini, who went from being a gold digger to a war protester. She had the best character development of the book and provided some necessary comic relief.
For someone looking for a thriller that will keep them guessing, this is not it. This is about people desperate to communicate and doing so through unconventional means.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, and War
There are descriptions of the main character's life in China and the village she grew up, which include descriptions of child death and references to young teenage girls being seduced by a visitor. Hongmei's stalker had also been accused of (tw: rape)dumaurier's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.5
love the prose but i didnt care about any of this. apparently it was first published in the early 2000s, and because of that, hongmei’s interactions with technology are incredibly dated and naive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, and Stalking
Moderate: Incest and Rape
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