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emleemay's review
4.0
Let me say, between ourselves, I’m not sure anyone can protect you from yourself.
4 1/2 stars. It was a bit of a strange journey that led me to reading this French import. I fell down one of those Internet rabbit holes and somehow found my way to the GR page of [b:Based on a True Story|31451163|Based on a True Story|Delphine de Vigan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478215379l/31451163._SY75_.jpg|45870928], which also happened to be available to borrow on my library's Overdrive. So, I read it. Why not?
Maybe I shouldn't describe it as "reading" because it would be more fitting to say this book enchanted me, and in a very unsettling way. I've read so few contemporary French authors (recs, anyone?), but right away I could see some style similarities between this and Slimani's [b:The Perfect Nanny|38330854|The Perfect Nanny|Leïla Slimani|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1517594917l/38330854._SY75_.jpg|52236126]. Completely different stories, of course, but both are thrillingly ominous. Both detail seemingly ordinary day-to-day scenarios, but each capture a similar strange atmosphere: an insidious wrongness behind everything.
Two examples can hardly be considered a pattern, but I am very curious what else is coming out of France that I may be missing.
[b:Based on a True Story|31451163|Based on a True Story|Delphine de Vigan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478215379l/31451163._SY75_.jpg|45870928] follows the writer, Delphine, as she befriends the mysterious L. in the wake of her latest novel's success. L. is a richly-drawn, unusual, fascinating character; one who draws Delphine - and the reader - into her world. As the two become closer, inseparable, Delphine finds herself ever more dependent on L. She subtly worms her way into every aspect of Delphine's life and career-- at first, seemingly, because she wants to be helpful, a good friend, but her motives become more suspect as the story moves along.
It gets really quite dark. L. is a force to be reckoned with-- charismatic, intense, philosophic, and terrifying. What, exactly, does she want from Delphine? And what happens if she doesn't get it? Delphine drew me in herself with her relatable shyness and introversion, but it is the "coiffed, made up and neatly-pressed" L. that makes this book so fascinating.
It's a clever, thoughtful read about writers, stories, characters, fiction and autobiography. About how there's truth in every fiction and fiction in every version of the truth. At times it becomes suggestively meta, but leaves a lot open to interpretation so you can believe whichever version you want. As we already said, there's truth and fiction in them all.
Despite what it may sound like above, it's not a particularly challenging read. The Miller translation was smooth and compelling. I was so into it that I called my mum to talk about the book as soon as I'd finished it. It held me captivated throughout and left my mind reeling once I put it down.
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houyhnhnm64's review against another edition
2.0
Blijkbaar is Niets weerstaat de nacht de succesvolste roman van Delphine de Vigan, en is Het ware verhaal van haar en mij het boek dat daarop volgde. Dat is dan altijd spannend, voor auteur en lezer, is het gelukt de hoog opgelopen verwachtingen waar te maken? Voor mij was Het ware verhaal van haar en mij het eerste boek dat ik van deze auteur las, en ik had daarom nauwelijks verwachtingen.
Helaas, ik vond het al met al tamelijk teleurstellend. Ik heb zo lezenderweg begrepen dat Niets weerstaat de nacht een sterk autobiografische roman is, over haar psychisch zieke moeder die zelfmoord heeft gepleegd, en dat het tot heftige reacties heeft geleid. Als een soort tegenreactie daarop speelt De Vigan in Het ware verhaal van haar en mij een spel met de werkelijkheid: wat is waar, en is het belangrijk dat een verhaal waar is? Wat dat betreft voegt de Franse titel (D’après une histoire vraie) nog een subtiele nuance toe, meer, vind ik persoonlijk dan de wat knullige Nederlandse titel.
Qua constructie zit de roman knap in elkaar. De hoofdpersoon, Delphine, heeft na het succes van haar vorige roman een writer’s block. Er komt een vrouw in haar leven, in het boek slechts aangeduid met de letter L., die haar vriendin wordt en haar leven steeds verder gaat bepalen. Het boek eindigt in een soort ‘cabin fever’-achtige setting die we kennen van Stephen King (niet toevallig, neem ik aan, dat een ieder van de 3 delen van het boek wordt voorafgegaan door een citaat uit boeken van King). Dan verdwijnt L. plots spoorloos uit Delphines leven, en blijkt ze geen enkel spoor te hebben achter gelaten.
Hoewel het gegeven, hoewel misschien niet geheel origineel (bijvoorbeeld The talented Mr. Rippley), best spannend is, heb je als lezer toch al heel vroeg door dat die L. niet te vertrouwen is. Delphine blijft regelmatig opmerken dat het haar achteraf verbaast dat ze het niet door had. Maar dat vond ik toch niet toereikend. Sterker nog, het blijkt op zeker moment dat alle ‘bekentenissen’ die L. heeft gedaan, ontleend zijn aan boeken die Delphine in de boekenkast had staan en zelf gelezen had. Ging er dan echt nooit een belletje rinkelen? Ongeloofwaardig, dat is mijn grootste kritiekpunt. En het gedoe over een schrijver die niet tot schrijven komt, komt toch vooral over als gezeur.
Het ware verhaal van haar en mij was het niet voor mij, maar ik ben wel getriggerd om in haar roman Dagen zonder honger te gaan lezen, over een meisje dat lijdt aan anorexia.
Helaas, ik vond het al met al tamelijk teleurstellend. Ik heb zo lezenderweg begrepen dat Niets weerstaat de nacht een sterk autobiografische roman is, over haar psychisch zieke moeder die zelfmoord heeft gepleegd, en dat het tot heftige reacties heeft geleid. Als een soort tegenreactie daarop speelt De Vigan in Het ware verhaal van haar en mij een spel met de werkelijkheid: wat is waar, en is het belangrijk dat een verhaal waar is? Wat dat betreft voegt de Franse titel (D’après une histoire vraie) nog een subtiele nuance toe, meer, vind ik persoonlijk dan de wat knullige Nederlandse titel.
Qua constructie zit de roman knap in elkaar. De hoofdpersoon, Delphine, heeft na het succes van haar vorige roman een writer’s block. Er komt een vrouw in haar leven, in het boek slechts aangeduid met de letter L., die haar vriendin wordt en haar leven steeds verder gaat bepalen. Het boek eindigt in een soort ‘cabin fever’-achtige setting die we kennen van Stephen King (niet toevallig, neem ik aan, dat een ieder van de 3 delen van het boek wordt voorafgegaan door een citaat uit boeken van King). Dan verdwijnt L. plots spoorloos uit Delphines leven, en blijkt ze geen enkel spoor te hebben achter gelaten.
Hoewel het gegeven, hoewel misschien niet geheel origineel (bijvoorbeeld The talented Mr. Rippley), best spannend is, heb je als lezer toch al heel vroeg door dat die L. niet te vertrouwen is. Delphine blijft regelmatig opmerken dat het haar achteraf verbaast dat ze het niet door had. Maar dat vond ik toch niet toereikend. Sterker nog, het blijkt op zeker moment dat alle ‘bekentenissen’ die L. heeft gedaan, ontleend zijn aan boeken die Delphine in de boekenkast had staan en zelf gelezen had. Ging er dan echt nooit een belletje rinkelen? Ongeloofwaardig, dat is mijn grootste kritiekpunt. En het gedoe over een schrijver die niet tot schrijven komt, komt toch vooral over als gezeur.
Het ware verhaal van haar en mij was het niet voor mij, maar ik ben wel getriggerd om in haar roman Dagen zonder honger te gaan lezen, over een meisje dat lijdt aan anorexia.
danidamico's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Soy fan de los libros que mezclan "realidad" con ficción, que difuminan esa línea que a veces creemos tan clara entre lo que es verdadero y lo que no. Uno de mis libros favoritos de este tipo es Santa Evita de Tomás Eloy Martínez, en el cual el autor mezcla de manera casi indistinguible datos y hechos históricos con escenas y personajes construidos desde cero. En este caso, Delphine de Vigan no se mete en el terreno histórico o político, sino más bien en la vida privada de una escritora que también se llama Delphine, que podría ser o no ser ella misma. La autora planta esa duda en el lector y juega con la idea de los límites de la ficción a lo largo de todo el texto. Trae a la mesa la pregunta por lo "real", qué significa esto cuando hablamos de textos que siempre son una construcción consciente del escritor.
Basado en hechos reales comienza con una escritora que está atravesando un momento difícil en su carrera tras la publicación de su último libro, con el que le fue muy bien. Aparece la temida pregunta: ¿y ahora qué sigue? Es en este momento de vulnerabilidad que la protagonista conoce a L, una mujer que se convierte en su amiga casi instantáneamente. L se va metiendo cada vez más en la vida de Delphine, hasta volverse una especie de engranaje necesario para funcionar. L manipula sus pensamientos, sus vínculos con los demás. La llena de dudas y angustias. La protagonista ya no es capaz de escribir ni una oración sin sufrir un ataque de pánico.
De Vigan se sirve de esta amistad para explorar aquellos debates mencionados sobre el lugar que ocupa la ficción contrapuesta a la no ficción o autoficción. Delphine y L son dos caras de una misma moneda que van confrontando a medida que escala la tensión a lo largo del libro. Es una novela acerca del conflicto: el conflicto interno con uno mismo, el conflicto que se puede generar con un otro, y también el conflicto que se vive con la propia obra cuando se es artista. El momento de enfrentarse a la página en blanco, al lienzo en blanco, al vacío. L parece representar ese vacío, que se apodera de Delphine hasta dominar cada instante de su existencia.
Si bien no supera mi experiencia con Nada se opone a la noche, esta segunda lectura de De Vigan me gustó muchísimo. Así como L se sirve de fragmentos de distintos libros para construir el relato sobre su vida, De Vigan toma cosas de otros libros para ir armando este rompecabezas.
Basado en hechos reales comienza con una escritora que está atravesando un momento difícil en su carrera tras la publicación de su último libro, con el que le fue muy bien. Aparece la temida pregunta: ¿y ahora qué sigue? Es en este momento de vulnerabilidad que la protagonista conoce a L, una mujer que se convierte en su amiga casi instantáneamente. L se va metiendo cada vez más en la vida de Delphine, hasta volverse una especie de engranaje necesario para funcionar. L manipula sus pensamientos, sus vínculos con los demás. La llena de dudas y angustias. La protagonista ya no es capaz de escribir ni una oración sin sufrir un ataque de pánico.
De Vigan se sirve de esta amistad para explorar aquellos debates mencionados sobre el lugar que ocupa la ficción contrapuesta a la no ficción o autoficción. Delphine y L son dos caras de una misma moneda que van confrontando a medida que escala la tensión a lo largo del libro. Es una novela acerca del conflicto: el conflicto interno con uno mismo, el conflicto que se puede generar con un otro, y también el conflicto que se vive con la propia obra cuando se es artista. El momento de enfrentarse a la página en blanco, al lienzo en blanco, al vacío. L parece representar ese vacío, que se apodera de Delphine hasta dominar cada instante de su existencia.
Si bien no supera mi experiencia con Nada se opone a la noche, esta segunda lectura de De Vigan me gustó muchísimo. Así como L se sirve de fragmentos de distintos libros para construir el relato sobre su vida, De Vigan toma cosas de otros libros para ir armando este rompecabezas.
nathegz's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rviegasvega's review against another edition
5.0
Este libro no hace más que confirmar que Delphine De Vigan es una de mis autoras favoritas.
Me mantuvo en vilo a lo largo de todo el libro, lo leía en cualquier lugar y en cualquier momento, hacia el final no lo pude soltar más.
Recién lo acabo y tengo miles de sensaciones, estoy segura que durante días voy a estar pensando en él y voy a crear mis propias teorías.
Que autora maravillosa.
Me mantuvo en vilo a lo largo de todo el libro, lo leía en cualquier lugar y en cualquier momento, hacia el final no lo pude soltar más.
Recién lo acabo y tengo miles de sensaciones, estoy segura que durante días voy a estar pensando en él y voy a crear mis propias teorías.
Que autora maravillosa.
scrapespaghetti's review against another edition
1.0
[Chapitre 15]
À mon éditrice, je laissais croire que tout allait bien, j’usais de formules un peu vagues pour différer le mensonge : j’effectuais quelques recherches complémentaires, je préparais le terrain, je consolidais les fondations…
Il n’y avait aucune raison de s’inquiéter.
J’étais sur le point de m’y remettre.
7/11/2023 1:06 AM
我讓我的編輯以為工作進行得很順利，我一直用語焉不詳、輕描淡寫的話術拖延謊言被揭穿的時刻：我在搜尋更多的資料，在準備階段了，正在打穩基礎⋯⋯
沒有什麼好擔心的。
我就要開始寫了。
───
En réalité, je tergiversais, m’éparpillais, repoussais de jour en jour et de semaine en semaine le moment où il me faudrait admettre que quelque chose était cassé, perdu, ne fonctionnait plus.
En réalité, dès que j’allumais l’ordinateur, dès que je commençais à réfléchir, la voix de la censure s’élevait. Un genre de surmoi sarcastique et sans indulgence avait pris possession de mon esprit. Il gloussait, se gaussait, ricanait. Il traquait, avant même qu’elle soit formulée, la faible phrase qui, sortie de son contexte, provoquerait l’hilarité. Sur mon front, un troisième œil s’était greffé au-dessus des deux autres. Quoi que je m’apprête à écrire, il me voyait venir avec mes gros sabots. Le troisième œil m’attendait au tournant, démolissait toute tentative de début, démasquait l’imposture.
Je venais de comprendre quelque chose de terrifiant et vertigineux : j’étais dorénavant mon pire ennemi. Mon propre tyran.
7/11/2023 1:06 AM
事實是，我支吾搪塞，心思渙散，明日復明日，一週推過一週，遲遲不肯承認是有些東西壞了，丟了，沒用了。
事實上，每當我開啟電腦，下定決心開始思考時，那個批評的聲音就會響起。某種極具諷刺又不留情面的超我占據了我的心思。在那裡咯咯叫鬧、譏諷嘲弄、酸言冷語。它甚至在句子尚未具體成形之前，就嘲笑文句太弱，偏離主題，荒唐可笑。我的額頭上彷彿有第三隻眼睛插入原有的雙眼之上。不管我準備要寫什麼，它都能看出我的意圖。那第三隻眼就在轉角等著我，摧毀所有起頭的嘗試，揭穿虛假的謊言。
我剛剛才領悟到一件可怕，駭人至極的事：我是我自己最恐怖的敵人。我自己的暴君。
À mon éditrice, je laissais croire que tout allait bien, j’usais de formules un peu vagues pour différer le mensonge : j’effectuais quelques recherches complémentaires, je préparais le terrain, je consolidais les fondations…
Il n’y avait aucune raison de s’inquiéter.
J’étais sur le point de m’y remettre.
7/11/2023 1:06 AM
我讓我的編輯以為工作進行得很順利，我一直用語焉不詳、輕描淡寫的話術拖延謊言被揭穿的時刻：我在搜尋更多的資料，在準備階段了，正在打穩基礎⋯⋯
沒有什麼好擔心的。
我就要開始寫了。
───
En réalité, je tergiversais, m’éparpillais, repoussais de jour en jour et de semaine en semaine le moment où il me faudrait admettre que quelque chose était cassé, perdu, ne fonctionnait plus.
En réalité, dès que j’allumais l’ordinateur, dès que je commençais à réfléchir, la voix de la censure s’élevait. Un genre de surmoi sarcastique et sans indulgence avait pris possession de mon esprit. Il gloussait, se gaussait, ricanait. Il traquait, avant même qu’elle soit formulée, la faible phrase qui, sortie de son contexte, provoquerait l’hilarité. Sur mon front, un troisième œil s’était greffé au-dessus des deux autres. Quoi que je m’apprête à écrire, il me voyait venir avec mes gros sabots. Le troisième œil m’attendait au tournant, démolissait toute tentative de début, démasquait l’imposture.
Je venais de comprendre quelque chose de terrifiant et vertigineux : j’étais dorénavant mon pire ennemi. Mon propre tyran.
7/11/2023 1:06 AM
事實是，我支吾搪塞，心思渙散，明日復明日，一週推過一週，遲遲不肯承認是有些東西壞了，丟了，沒用了。
事實上，每當我開啟電腦，下定決心開始思考時，那個批評的聲音就會響起。某種極具諷刺又不留情面的超我占據了我的心思。在那裡咯咯叫鬧、譏諷嘲弄、酸言冷語。它甚至在句子尚未具體成形之前，就嘲笑文句太弱，偏離主題，荒唐可笑。我的額頭上彷彿有第三隻眼睛插入原有的雙眼之上。不管我準備要寫什麼，它都能看出我的意圖。那第三隻眼就在轉角等著我，摧毀所有起頭的嘗試，揭穿虛假的謊言。
我剛剛才領悟到一件可怕，駭人至極的事：我是我自己最恐怖的敵人。我自己的暴君。
neculara's review against another edition
5.0
This slow burning thriller completely mesmerized me, and although it was surprisingly action-free, I still couldn't put it down (I still think it qualifies as a thriller because of the atmosphere).
The main character has the same name as the author. Delphine-in-the-book is also an author, and when the story starts, she is thinking back on a difficult time in her life, trying to figure out excactly what happened. I all started after the publication of her latest novel, which was semi-autobiographical and created a bit of a stir. I don't know if the real Delphine de Vigan did the same, or what other similarities there are between author and narrator, but there might be quite a few.
I'ts an introspective, slow moving story, and the language is very comfortable to read (I want to say "it just melts in your mouth"), and it reminded me a bit of Ishiguro. When you have a narrator looking back on events from the past in this way, it often creates a sort of distance to the plot that can lower the stakes and kill the tension. That distance is really not a problem here, though. Instead, the narration creates a sort of slow buildup of tension that just makes you want to keep reading. Over time, small events accumulate into a situation it will be very hard for Delphine to get out of. Kind of like a trap closing around you and you don't notice until it's too late. There are so many little signs of something being off, signs that individually can be explained away, but if you manage to put them together, the story they reveal is dark and scary.
As you may have understood, this book is very meta. It toys with the reader, making us ask ourselves what is real and what isn't, and wonder who is actually telling the story. When we start out, Delphine is returning from a book signing, and although she is exchausted, she goes to a party, where she meets the mysterious anc charismatic L. They soon become friends, and L. gradually becomes more and more involved in Delphine's life. She also has very strong ideas about what kind of book Delphine should write next, and about literature in general. She protests wildly against Delphine's own ideas, and insists that fiction is dead, Delphine must write something true.
Delphine’s and L.s discussions about truth vs. fiction in literature was very interesting to read. My first reaction to L.s blind belief in telling "true stories" was that "true stories" often has an element of gossip or of wanting to peek into someone else’s private life. I find this in poor taste, and also often not that interesting or relevant. I think fictional stories can also tell important truths. I would find a story from World War II, with made up characters, which depicts the gruesomeness of the war accurately, to be more important, interesting and true than the autobiography of a celebrity.
But it is clear from the outset that this book plays with the popularity of books that are autobiographical or based on a true story. For example, the title of the book is Based On A True Story, but on the back of the book, above the description and blurbs, it says, in black, capitalized letters: DO NOT TRUST THIS BOOK. L. herself is a ghostwriter, believing herself to write "the truth" about her clients, something I find highly questionable. The ending of the book (no spoilers here) also plays heavily on the fact that we often cannot know the truth, least of all about our own lives.
The thing about L. is that it often seems like she steps over some line, but then when Delphine ask her about it, she always has a perfectly reasonable explanation for it. You can't catch her read handed doing anything wrong. But the way she slowly and steadily gaines more and more control over Delphine's life was spine-chilling. Her insistence on Delphine writing something "true" and her disdain for anything Delphine herself would like to write, eventually makes her completely incapable of writing anything at all:
Writing was becoming a battle. Not only writing a book (which was to be honest no longer an issue), but any writing at all: replying to friends, to requests passed on by my publisher, putting words together to construct sentences, however humdrum. I hesitated over expressions, doubted my grammar, tried unsuccessfully to find the right tone. Writing had become a trial of strength and I wasn't up to it. And always in front of the screen there was this burning in my throat preventing me breathing.
L. slowly but steadily breaks Delphine down. Delphine herself describes it like this:
Sometimes the rather hackneyed image that comes to mind is that of a spider that has patiently spun its web, or an octopus with many tentacles, holding me prisoner. But it wasn’t like that. L. was more like a jellyfish, light and translucent, who settled on part of my soul. That contact left a burn, but it wasn’t visible to the naked eye. Its imprint left me seemingly free in my movements. But it bound her to me much more than I could have imagined.
I loved the combination of the meta-element exploring whether truth is even possible to attain trough literature, and the creepy thriller elements. It was a mesmerizing combination. The slow buildup of tension was extremely well done, and L.s influence over Delphine is, as one of the blurbs describes it "A masterclass in manipulation".
The main character has the same name as the author. Delphine-in-the-book is also an author, and when the story starts, she is thinking back on a difficult time in her life, trying to figure out excactly what happened. I all started after the publication of her latest novel, which was semi-autobiographical and created a bit of a stir. I don't know if the real Delphine de Vigan did the same, or what other similarities there are between author and narrator, but there might be quite a few.
I'ts an introspective, slow moving story, and the language is very comfortable to read (I want to say "it just melts in your mouth"), and it reminded me a bit of Ishiguro. When you have a narrator looking back on events from the past in this way, it often creates a sort of distance to the plot that can lower the stakes and kill the tension. That distance is really not a problem here, though. Instead, the narration creates a sort of slow buildup of tension that just makes you want to keep reading. Over time, small events accumulate into a situation it will be very hard for Delphine to get out of. Kind of like a trap closing around you and you don't notice until it's too late. There are so many little signs of something being off, signs that individually can be explained away, but if you manage to put them together, the story they reveal is dark and scary.
As you may have understood, this book is very meta. It toys with the reader, making us ask ourselves what is real and what isn't, and wonder who is actually telling the story. When we start out, Delphine is returning from a book signing, and although she is exchausted, she goes to a party, where she meets the mysterious anc charismatic L. They soon become friends, and L. gradually becomes more and more involved in Delphine's life. She also has very strong ideas about what kind of book Delphine should write next, and about literature in general. She protests wildly against Delphine's own ideas, and insists that fiction is dead, Delphine must write something true.
Delphine’s and L.s discussions about truth vs. fiction in literature was very interesting to read. My first reaction to L.s blind belief in telling "true stories" was that "true stories" often has an element of gossip or of wanting to peek into someone else’s private life. I find this in poor taste, and also often not that interesting or relevant. I think fictional stories can also tell important truths. I would find a story from World War II, with made up characters, which depicts the gruesomeness of the war accurately, to be more important, interesting and true than the autobiography of a celebrity.
But it is clear from the outset that this book plays with the popularity of books that are autobiographical or based on a true story. For example, the title of the book is Based On A True Story, but on the back of the book, above the description and blurbs, it says, in black, capitalized letters: DO NOT TRUST THIS BOOK. L. herself is a ghostwriter, believing herself to write "the truth" about her clients, something I find highly questionable. The ending of the book (no spoilers here) also plays heavily on the fact that we often cannot know the truth, least of all about our own lives.
The thing about L. is that it often seems like she steps over some line, but then when Delphine ask her about it, she always has a perfectly reasonable explanation for it. You can't catch her read handed doing anything wrong. But the way she slowly and steadily gaines more and more control over Delphine's life was spine-chilling. Her insistence on Delphine writing something "true" and her disdain for anything Delphine herself would like to write, eventually makes her completely incapable of writing anything at all:
Writing was becoming a battle. Not only writing a book (which was to be honest no longer an issue), but any writing at all: replying to friends, to requests passed on by my publisher, putting words together to construct sentences, however humdrum. I hesitated over expressions, doubted my grammar, tried unsuccessfully to find the right tone. Writing had become a trial of strength and I wasn't up to it. And always in front of the screen there was this burning in my throat preventing me breathing.
L. slowly but steadily breaks Delphine down. Delphine herself describes it like this:
Sometimes the rather hackneyed image that comes to mind is that of a spider that has patiently spun its web, or an octopus with many tentacles, holding me prisoner. But it wasn’t like that. L. was more like a jellyfish, light and translucent, who settled on part of my soul. That contact left a burn, but it wasn’t visible to the naked eye. Its imprint left me seemingly free in my movements. But it bound her to me much more than I could have imagined.
I loved the combination of the meta-element exploring whether truth is even possible to attain trough literature, and the creepy thriller elements. It was a mesmerizing combination. The slow buildup of tension was extremely well done, and L.s influence over Delphine is, as one of the blurbs describes it "A masterclass in manipulation".
bananapie123's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emmaopaline's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Suicide, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
issysarchives's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0