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frances_frances's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This is my second Heather Gudenkauf book, after The Overnight Guest, and while she's a good writer with a distinct voice, I've decided her books just aren't for me. Not a Sound is better than a lot of thrillers out there but it didn't particularly hook me.
One of the reasons I picked this book is because the main character is deaf. It's unusual for thrillers to feature characters who are in any way disabled. This aspect of the book was interesting to me and brought a much-needed disruption to the genre. I'm not deaf so I don't feel like I can really comment on the way deafness was presented in this book. I know Gudenkauf is deaf in one ear so I hope/assume she would have the insight and sensitivity necessary to write an authentic deaf person. I'm interested in the perspectives of deaf readers and how they received this book.
Some aspects of the book that I didn't like:
* I was often bored by the frequent paragraph-long descriptions of buildings and of Mathias's (rather bland) history.
* There's also some unnecessarily detailed descriptions that took me out of the story. One was when Amelia assists Rachel Nava after she falls. We're told in great detail how the iv is administered and what her condition is. And as the climax of the story is ramping up, Gudenkauf takes the time to explain the benefits of snowshoeing...
* Amelia is constantly making unsafe and/or unethical decisions and frequently puts herself in physical danger. As the book went on, I had less and less patience for this. It felt like in general, a lot of characters make decisions that make zero sense and only happen to move the story along. I felt too aware of where Gudenkauf was trying to steer the reader.
* This highlights my next issue with the book: The mystery that the whole book revolves around wasn't particularly compelling or suspenseful. It felt formulaic and the red herrings weren't executed well. It felt like Gudenkauf had a lot of specific ideas she wanted to incorporate but less clarity about how and why the ideas fit together.
* Amelia wasn't an intriguing character. Her dog is almost most interesting. Amelia's history with alcoholism fell flat for me. The progression, peak, and aftermath of her disorder didn't feel authentic to me. I can't say why exactly but I just didn't believe it.
One of the reasons I picked this book is because the main character is deaf. It's unusual for thrillers to feature characters who are in any way disabled. This aspect of the book was interesting to me and brought a much-needed disruption to the genre. I'm not deaf so I don't feel like I can really comment on the way deafness was presented in this book. I know Gudenkauf is deaf in one ear so I hope/assume she would have the insight and sensitivity necessary to write an authentic deaf person. I'm interested in the perspectives of deaf readers and how they received this book.
Some aspects of the book that I didn't like:
* I was often bored by the frequent paragraph-long descriptions of buildings and of Mathias's (rather bland) history.
* There's also some unnecessarily detailed descriptions that took me out of the story. One was when Amelia assists Rachel Nava after she falls. We're told in great detail how the iv is administered and what her condition is. And as the climax of the story is ramping up, Gudenkauf takes the time to explain the benefits of snowshoeing...
* Amelia is constantly making unsafe and/or unethical decisions and frequently puts herself in physical danger. As the book went on, I had less and less patience for this. It felt like in general, a lot of characters make decisions that make zero sense and only happen to move the story along. I felt too aware of where Gudenkauf was trying to steer the reader.
* This highlights my next issue with the book: The mystery that the whole book revolves around wasn't particularly compelling or suspenseful. It felt formulaic and the red herrings weren't executed well. It felt like Gudenkauf had a lot of specific ideas she wanted to incorporate but less clarity about how and why the ideas fit together.
* Amelia wasn't an intriguing character. Her dog is almost most interesting. Amelia's history with alcoholism fell flat for me. The progression, peak, and aftermath of her disorder didn't feel authentic to me. I can't say why exactly but I just didn't believe it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Car accident
triple_m's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Pretty decent thriller. The ultimate bad guy didn’t surprise me at all though I predicted it very early on. I think way too much detail was given about how nice and beloved by his patients the doctor was that to me it was obvious the author was trying to create shock value by making him the bad guy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Car accident
greatestheights's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such a refreshing palate cleanser after my last read. I needed a heroine like Amelia, who is complicated, flawed, and most importantly, kind — a good person who, in the face of trauma, struggled in a very human way. I loved watching her reclaim herself. I guessed the twist earlyish, but enjoyed Amelia's journey getting there. Also, this one gets extra points for Stitch, the reluctant, most badass service dog. My only really complaint is that idk why she kept letting people pet him and why he was never wearing a vest!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail