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lilifane's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I almost dnfed this book in the first half. I was really struggling. Mostly because I don't like domestic thrillers, and this felt like one in the first half. But I kept reading because I wanted to check out Paul Cleave's writing and plotting in general. To see if I should even pick up something else by him in the future. And another reason was that a friend of mine gave this a high rating and I trust their judgment.
What made the first half of the book so hard to get through were the unlikable characters and their behaviors. I do think that the depiction of a frustrated, anxious and powerless parent whose child has been abducted was well done. I understand the urge to do something in this situation. But the things the protagonist decides to do and not to do, frustrated me a lot. I understand irrational behavior in these circumstances, but it was a little too much. So yeah, I was not enjoying the experience.
Around the halfway point there is a turn in the story and from then on I had a better time with the book. At some point, I just went along with the wild things the protagonist was doing. Really like how everything came together in the end, too. (Although you have to suspend your disbelief a lot and there are still details that make no sense to me regarding the behavior of some of the characters. The motivation and execution of the whole thing, for example. It doesn't make a lot of sense when you think too much about it.) And the ending made me emotional.
All the trigger warnings involving children you can think of, btw.
What made the first half of the book so hard to get through were the unlikable characters and their behaviors. I do think that the depiction of a frustrated, anxious and powerless parent whose child has been abducted was well done. I understand the urge to do something in this situation. But the things the protagonist decides to do and not to do, frustrated me a lot. I understand irrational behavior in these circumstances, but it was a little too much. So yeah, I was not enjoying the experience.
Around the halfway point there is a turn in the story and from then on I had a better time with the book. At some point, I just went along with the wild things the protagonist was doing. Really like how everything came together in the end, too. (Although you have to suspend your disbelief a lot and there are still details that make no sense to me regarding the behavior of some of the characters. The motivation and execution of the whole thing, for example. It doesn't make a lot of sense when you think too much about it.) And the ending made me emotional.
All the trigger warnings involving children you can think of, btw.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, and Infidelity
Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Stalking, and Death of parent
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.0
The Quiet People centres on Cameron and Lisa Murdoch, a husband and wife crime writing duo who wake up one morning to find their seven year old son Zach is missing. They’re devastated but suspicion soon turns on them, especially since they are on record as saying no one knows more than they do about how to get away with murder.
I was keen to pick this one up since the author is from my city and the book is set here. Although the city is mentioned most of the locations in the book - parks etc - are fictional so I didn’t get the strong sense of place recognition that I was expecting.
Overall though I enjoyed the book. The tension with a missing child is always high, and there were plenty of twists and turns as the plot unfolded to keep my interest up. Just when I thought I had things figured out the author switched things up and I was back to square one.
I liked the way social media and mainstream media were profiled in this story. The way we can be filmed and then broadcast online without our knowledge or consent (I’m sure I’m not the only parent who is glad some of my less than stellar parenting moments never made it online), the way media reporting can frame a story without necessarily having a lot of substance to back it up, the way social media can quickly fuel a mob frenzy, the way people are quick to jump to conclusions and assume the worst.
I typically enjoy police procedurals so it is no surprise that I enjoyed the character of Detective Rebecca Kent and the time we spent with her as she tried to find Zach and get to the bottom of his disappearance. I also found Cameron to be a fascinating character. Watching the ways he dealt with the pressure of having a missing son, being a suspect, and being pilloried by the media and the public made for interesting if disturbing reading. I understood many of his emotions but not necessarily his actions!
I was keen to pick this one up since the author is from my city and the book is set here. Although the city is mentioned most of the locations in the book - parks etc - are fictional so I didn’t get the strong sense of place recognition that I was expecting.
Overall though I enjoyed the book. The tension with a missing child is always high, and there were plenty of twists and turns as the plot unfolded to keep my interest up. Just when I thought I had things figured out the author switched things up and I was back to square one.
I liked the way social media and mainstream media were profiled in this story. The way we can be filmed and then broadcast online without our knowledge or consent (I’m sure I’m not the only parent who is glad some of my less than stellar parenting moments never made it online), the way media reporting can frame a story without necessarily having a lot of substance to back it up, the way social media can quickly fuel a mob frenzy, the way people are quick to jump to conclusions and assume the worst.
I typically enjoy police procedurals so it is no surprise that I enjoyed the character of Detective Rebecca Kent and the time we spent with her as she tried to find Zach and get to the bottom of his disappearance. I also found Cameron to be a fascinating character. Watching the ways he dealt with the pressure of having a missing son, being a suspect, and being pilloried by the media and the public made for interesting if disturbing reading. I understood many of his emotions but not necessarily his actions!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Pedophilia, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Pedophilia
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