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basketballwasneverlikethisskip's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Animal death
katelaidley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual content
hesafruit0000's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal death
jazzy_cat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
dreesreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal death and Gun violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse
andthenweread's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Animal death
orla_h's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, and Sexism
Minor: Gaslighting
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Right from the beginning of the book there is a slight sense of unease because of a couple of strange but seemingly unrelated and not necessarily significant events. What eventuated though came as a surprise and seemed especially shocking when juxtaposed against the innocent, happy party that was planned. The propulsive nature of the story came thanks to the foreshadowing and cliff hangars that constantly had me reading one more section to find out exactly what else was going to happen and why. The slow burn aspect was because the author took us into the thoughts and dialogue of every single character. You’d experience a scene from the perspective of one character, then the story would loop back and you’d see it at least part of it again through a different perspective. The author wrote in such a way that the reader got to share every thought of every character, and overhear every conversation. It made for an incredibly immersive read. Another noteworthy aspect of the author’s craft was the way the thoughts of one character were interspersed with snippets of the conversation going on around them. This was immersive and realistic, and when combined with really lengthy sentences contributed to feelings of urgency, chaos and immediacy. In other words the way Mauvignier told his story really captured the atmosphere his characters were creating and experiencing. Stylistically it won’t be for every reader but it really worked for me. A wonderful literary thriller that maintained the tension throughout. It very much deserved its place on the International Booker longlist.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
nicolehm_'s review against another edition
4.0
The basic premise is that of a husband organising a small birthday party for his wife that their daughter, neighbour, and wives colleagues are going to attend. For the rest you should go in completely blind. The blurb is vague for a reason and I think you’ll get most enjoyment out of it by not trying to delve any further before reading it.
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death