kle105's review
4.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Wow, just wow. This story is told from the point of view of a serial killer. It begins with him killing one woman and kidnapping another. His desires override all other emotions, until he meets a cashier. He begins to get a conscience for the woman he kidnapped and put in a cage in his basement. The story twists and turns in multiple directions, and the buildup to the ending was intense. There were a few spots that were a little confusing but overall intensely dark and twisting, similar to an episode of Dexter.
granolagina's review
2.0
I was going to give it 3 stars but I'm dropping it down because I don't like vague endings.
filemanager's review
3.0
2.5 stars - the beginning and the end didn't make sense, and the writing style was... Foggy. The middle of the book seems clearer.
I enjoyed the dry humour though.
I enjoyed the dry humour though.
talonvictoria's review
2.0
I liked the concept of this book. Normal was some what similar to Caroline Kepnes' YOU. The only difference is, Caroline's book had a plot and a specific story line. Normal, did not.
This book started out strong but as you progress it gets choppy and all over the place. There is just way too much going on. I didn't understand the whys of what he was doing and the book didn't provide us any reasons and hardly any past flashbacks either. We also are not given a backstory as to how or why he has become this way, leaving all the interpretations to our own. Am I just supposed to assume this is who he is? Now, I am not against that in any way but the author made it extremely hard to grow to love this character without any empathy, back story, or even flashbacks as to why he was the way that he was.
Being inside the thought process and the brain of a psychopath is always fun for me when well executed. I really enjoyed this author's writing and it worked super well with the story taking place but I didn't love it. It wasn't sensational or memorable but it worked well enough for the story.
The characters relationship with Rachel and even Erica really baffled me. I have so many questions. So many. And they were all left unanswered. Which in turn left me with eye rolls.
"Right now universes are being created, thrown together and destroyed the world over. Seven billion souls, each pre-occupied with their own unique reality, each with a head full of memories, plans, learned knowledge and accumulated trivia; birthdays, telephone numbers, bus routes, passwords. Each one with somewhere to go, something they need to get done. They all have birth certificates and shoe sizes. Every single one has a story."
And seriously: did this guy have a job? He buys all of this stuff, goes to all of these places, takes care of Erica and even Rachel and where is his income from? Maybe I missed it but this was something I could not stop thinking about!
Normal is the type of book you'd just have to pick up for yourself and see how well you like it. I feel like it could work for a lot of people and then for others and it just wouldn't. A complete hit or miss for sure.
This book started out strong but as you progress it gets choppy and all over the place. There is just way too much going on. I didn't understand the whys of what he was doing and the book didn't provide us any reasons and hardly any past flashbacks either. We also are not given a backstory as to how or why he has become this way, leaving all the interpretations to our own. Am I just supposed to assume this is who he is? Now, I am not against that in any way but the author made it extremely hard to grow to love this character without any empathy, back story, or even flashbacks as to why he was the way that he was.
Being inside the thought process and the brain of a psychopath is always fun for me when well executed. I really enjoyed this author's writing and it worked super well with the story taking place but I didn't love it. It wasn't sensational or memorable but it worked well enough for the story.
The characters relationship with Rachel and even Erica really baffled me. I have so many questions. So many. And they were all left unanswered. Which in turn left me with eye rolls.
"Right now universes are being created, thrown together and destroyed the world over. Seven billion souls, each pre-occupied with their own unique reality, each with a head full of memories, plans, learned knowledge and accumulated trivia; birthdays, telephone numbers, bus routes, passwords. Each one with somewhere to go, something they need to get done. They all have birth certificates and shoe sizes. Every single one has a story."
And seriously: did this guy have a job? He buys all of this stuff, goes to all of these places, takes care of Erica and even Rachel and where is his income from? Maybe I missed it but this was something I could not stop thinking about!
Normal is the type of book you'd just have to pick up for yourself and see how well you like it. I feel like it could work for a lot of people and then for others and it just wouldn't. A complete hit or miss for sure.
nevemac's review
2.0
I had SO MUCH hope for this book, I really did. First of all, I hated the writing style. It was so all over the place and I found myself very confused most of the time. There were points during this book that I sat there and had no clue who was talking, or what they were talking about. There would be paragraphs in the middle of chapters that had no relevance (that I could see). The premise of the book was great, but the execution just wasn't there. I also found the end very underwhelming. I don't think there was enough resolution. I LOVED Erica though. I thought her character development was great and I loved reading about her. Everything else was just eh.
derbit's review against another edition
5.0
This book is beautifully effed up.
The story's told from the point of view of a serial killer, and right off the bat you want to hate him. Because he's a disgusting human being, right? He's a serial killer who targets young women, for God's sake. How can you NOT hate him? But then, as the story progresses, you can't help but have a soft spot for him. This is part of the reason why I say the book is beautifully effed up; he's a serial killer, and you're supposed to hate him, and yet, he's human and you start to sympathize with him. I've never felt so conflicted about whether I should love or hate a main character, and that's part of what makes this book so incredible. I loved it.
The story's told from the point of view of a serial killer, and right off the bat you want to hate him. Because he's a disgusting human being, right? He's a serial killer who targets young women, for God's sake. How can you NOT hate him? But then, as the story progresses, you can't help but have a soft spot for him. This is part of the reason why I say the book is beautifully effed up; he's a serial killer, and you're supposed to hate him, and yet, he's human and you start to sympathize with him. I've never felt so conflicted about whether I should love or hate a main character, and that's part of what makes this book so incredible. I loved it.
mckennie2's review against another edition
4.0
I loved up till the end. I’m going to be honest, I’m still confused by the ending and I feel as though if I listened again, it still wouldn’t make any sense.