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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going to mention Dexter a few times in this review. If you're not familiar with the TV show (or inferior books), don't be concerned, it's a comparison I couldn't help but make as I read this, and won't affect your enjoyment of this debut. Dexter is all about a serial killer, one who kills to fulfil a deep-seated need, but who can cover his tracks owing to his position as Blood Splatter Analyst for the police.
The (unnamed) protagonist of Normal also kills because he needs to. He however, is smart without the advantage of a position in the police. He's cool, he's calm - the ultimate dispassionate predator. And he's also funny. Very, very funny. Things he says, you see as being very 'normal' and everyday and all of a sudden he turns them into something quite different:
"In Fruit & Veg I selected a peach. Small, rosy and perfectly rounded, she set my mouth watering the moment she caught my eye."
Just like Dexter's opening credits where the everyday, mundane and normal can be seen through the serial killer's eyes as something much more dangerous.
For the narrator, killing is normal, murder, death and mutilation. And we as readers start to see it as that too, until he pulls us up again:
"An unprecedented calm enveloped me as I made space in the pantry freezer, between the joints of topside beef and the waitress from the Hungry Horse."
You reread things, not sure you've read it correctly. Then realise you have. And laugh. And wonder how you can laugh, when everywhere around this man are murdered women.
The start of the novel sees our killer stalking a woman, and it not going quite to plan. His elaborate and very well-designed basement dungeon is called into play. But his next victim, Erica, isn't quite what she appears. And our quirky murderer finds his perspective changing when he visits the supermarket and - bam - falls in love, with a woman he doesn't immediately want to cut up.
How his loved-up persona affects his psychotic nature is amusing, the plot somehow managing to keep some very dark deeds quite light. Even Dexter gets quite bogged down in his 'dark passenger' subplot that never strays into the 'humorous' aisle of the serial killer genre. Normal is unique.
For a book with a male serial killer, Cameron gives some juicy little roles to women. Annie for me was the standout, but I won't spoil her plotline. Annie and a very understated female police officer grow more interesting as the story progresses. I wasn't convinced by love interest Rachel, but she does get her moments. Erica starts brilliantly, with some great development.
But I haven't given this five stars. Really, it was the ending (actually, I hate the way Dexter ended too). I just felt a little let down with the hectic finale (and also some very confusing moments throughout when I felt I'd missed paragraphs as characters seemed to have moved forward without this being written onto the page). I didn't like the ending, so this might be my personal taste, but the two main roles acted in ways I didn't feel fitted with previous actions or that went in ways I thought suited the style of story. A shame for me, as the first half was a solid 5-star read.
Despite an ending that didn't suit me personally, this is original, biting and hilariously dark killer material. Don't feel bad for liking it, it doesn't make you any less Normal.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
The (unnamed) protagonist of Normal also kills because he needs to. He however, is smart without the advantage of a position in the police. He's cool, he's calm - the ultimate dispassionate predator. And he's also funny. Very, very funny. Things he says, you see as being very 'normal' and everyday and all of a sudden he turns them into something quite different:
"In Fruit & Veg I selected a peach. Small, rosy and perfectly rounded, she set my mouth watering the moment she caught my eye."
Just like Dexter's opening credits where the everyday, mundane and normal can be seen through the serial killer's eyes as something much more dangerous.
For the narrator, killing is normal, murder, death and mutilation. And we as readers start to see it as that too, until he pulls us up again:
"An unprecedented calm enveloped me as I made space in the pantry freezer, between the joints of topside beef and the waitress from the Hungry Horse."
You reread things, not sure you've read it correctly. Then realise you have. And laugh. And wonder how you can laugh, when everywhere around this man are murdered women.
The start of the novel sees our killer stalking a woman, and it not going quite to plan. His elaborate and very well-designed basement dungeon is called into play. But his next victim, Erica, isn't quite what she appears. And our quirky murderer finds his perspective changing when he visits the supermarket and - bam - falls in love, with a woman he doesn't immediately want to cut up.
How his loved-up persona affects his psychotic nature is amusing, the plot somehow managing to keep some very dark deeds quite light. Even Dexter gets quite bogged down in his 'dark passenger' subplot that never strays into the 'humorous' aisle of the serial killer genre. Normal is unique.
For a book with a male serial killer, Cameron gives some juicy little roles to women. Annie for me was the standout, but I won't spoil her plotline. Annie and a very understated female police officer grow more interesting as the story progresses. I wasn't convinced by love interest Rachel, but she does get her moments. Erica starts brilliantly, with some great development.
But I haven't given this five stars. Really, it was the ending (actually, I hate the way Dexter ended too). I just felt a little let down with the hectic finale (and also some very confusing moments throughout when I felt I'd missed paragraphs as characters seemed to have moved forward without this being written onto the page). I didn't like the ending, so this might be my personal taste, but the two main roles acted in ways I didn't feel fitted with previous actions or that went in ways I thought suited the style of story. A shame for me, as the first half was a solid 5-star read.
Despite an ending that didn't suit me personally, this is original, biting and hilariously dark killer material. Don't feel bad for liking it, it doesn't make you any less Normal.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
robertjackson's review against another edition
2.0
Good idea but disappointing plot deteriorated throughout
rachelellyn's review against another edition
4.0
Ok first, I'm still undecided whether I liked it-3.5 stars-or really liked it-4 stars. So I went with 4 stars.
It has a bit of the YOU by Caroline Kepnes which I LOVED, but it's different and it falls short of the mark YOU made. So that might be hampering my enjoyment of this book.
All in all, I would hardily recommend it. It has some twists that totally come out of left field which I loved.
It has a bit of the YOU by Caroline Kepnes which I LOVED, but it's different and it falls short of the mark YOU made. So that might be hampering my enjoyment of this book.
All in all, I would hardily recommend it. It has some twists that totally come out of left field which I loved.
magyklyxdelish's review against another edition
2.0
For a story that puts you in the mind of a serial killer, this had a lot of promise. However it fell so flat for me.
My biggest issue with this book lays in the writing. It was so verbose that it quickly became boring. There was enough in the plot to make me want to know how it ended however I remained bored until the final couple chapters.
My second issue is that there’s a lot of vagueness that the author is intentional about. I’m all for having certain things left to interpretation or a few red herrings but the sheer amount of times that this happens leads to a lot of confusion honestly which doesn’t help my feelings on it being boring.
Overall this was a slog to finish and it’s definitely not one I’d care to read again.
My biggest issue with this book lays in the writing. It was so verbose that it quickly became boring. There was enough in the plot to make me want to know how it ended however I remained bored until the final couple chapters.
My second issue is that there’s a lot of vagueness that the author is intentional about. I’m all for having certain things left to interpretation or a few red herrings but the sheer amount of times that this happens leads to a lot of confusion honestly which doesn’t help my feelings on it being boring.
Overall this was a slog to finish and it’s definitely not one I’d care to read again.
rychen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.25
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
I love me a good serial killer story. What I really enjoyed about this one is that the killer was nameless. As the author explained with a interview in the back of the book he did this on purpose because me as the reader could let me mind run wild and imagine anyone as the killer. This thus in turn makes the killer even more scarier. Another thing that I liked about this book is that the killer did have a conscience. Do serial killers really have a conscience? Isn't that like actually saying that Big Foot really exists!
Well in this book the killer does have a heart, only what do you do when you are falling in love and as the saying goes "Threes a crowd". Only there is a big problem as the authorities are on to you and closing in fast. I read this book in two days. If this is Mr. Cameron's debut novel I can't wait to see what his next is all about.
Well in this book the killer does have a heart, only what do you do when you are falling in love and as the saying goes "Threes a crowd". Only there is a big problem as the authorities are on to you and closing in fast. I read this book in two days. If this is Mr. Cameron's debut novel I can't wait to see what his next is all about.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
2.0
A special thank you to Harlequin Mira and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
NORMAL by Graeme Cameron is told in the first person, an unnamed killer, whose favorite pastime is trolling the neighborhood and abducting women and killing them.
From the mysterious front cover, the summary, and the first 3% of the book, I was ready to settle in for a chilling psychological thriller. The positives stop here.
From this point on, it declines quickly, and if I had not requested it through NetGalley, I would have thrown this one aside before the 10% mark. I literally put it down numerous times, and was not going to invest the time to finish, as I have too many other great books, sitting on my shelf.
However, I continued to read, thinking it would get better and unfortunately it never happened. For me it was not even twisted humor. It did not hold my interest and overall, a non-engaging read. The only character with any sort of intelligent dialogue was Annie.
First, who wants to read a book which refers to “I” the entire book, with no background? I think the author may have been going for dark humor, which again was unable to pull off, in my opinion.
By reading the author’s notes at the end, he is inviting readers to "fill in the blanks with a monster who may be normal, individual to you. Every man-because that‘s who this killer is". If you are going to do this, make him interesting enough to keep reading.
NORMAL by Graeme Cameron is told in the first person, an unnamed killer, whose favorite pastime is trolling the neighborhood and abducting women and killing them.
From the mysterious front cover, the summary, and the first 3% of the book, I was ready to settle in for a chilling psychological thriller. The positives stop here.
From this point on, it declines quickly, and if I had not requested it through NetGalley, I would have thrown this one aside before the 10% mark. I literally put it down numerous times, and was not going to invest the time to finish, as I have too many other great books, sitting on my shelf.
However, I continued to read, thinking it would get better and unfortunately it never happened. For me it was not even twisted humor. It did not hold my interest and overall, a non-engaging read. The only character with any sort of intelligent dialogue was Annie.
First, who wants to read a book which refers to “I” the entire book, with no background? I think the author may have been going for dark humor, which again was unable to pull off, in my opinion.
By reading the author’s notes at the end, he is inviting readers to "fill in the blanks with a monster who may be normal, individual to you. Every man-because that‘s who this killer is". If you are going to do this, make him interesting enough to keep reading.
readymadereader's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
liketheday's review against another edition
1.0
The ending of the book is almost satirical in its humor, and if the rest of the book had felt like that I think I could have been completely on board with this as the funniest psychopath story ever told. But I'm pretty sure that's not what he was going for (based on the interview at the end of my copy of the book), so.
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