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sonygaystation's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars y'all, this was book was really, really good. And also really freaking sad?! *cue friends theme song* no one told me it was gonna be this sad. It's graphic and creepy, and has kind of the same tropes you often see in crime-style thrillers, but they felt pulled off in a way that was interesting and introspective. At its core it's about love (so y'all already know I'm gonna love it just because of that) and the lengths we go to try to repair the things we care about. Grief is very hard and often even messier and lots of people tend to get caught in the fall out - it's just especially complicated when it's your six year old son also struggling with his own grief. I think that Jake (Tom's son) was sensitive and introspective, and Tom, even working through feelings that might feel frustrating from the outside, was a very empathetic character. The plot mirrors itself really well in its layers and comes together in a way that managed to make me actually feel sad for a person I'm sure many readers will feel doesn't deserve empathy at all. It's a story about the ways we keep trying to love our people when we aren't quite sure how to, and how we keep seeking the love we want from people unable to give it to us - all wrapped up in father-son relationship thriller. Obviously I loved every second of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Confinement and Cursing