the_lilypad's review
3.0
This was... fine? I found the writing style interesting- although somewhat annoying (super short chapters, no quotations marks or paragraph breaks for people who are speaking), and liked reading a book that takes place in Hobart. But it was just... fine.
And all the characters were a bit annoying.
And all the characters were a bit annoying.
wtb_michael's review
3.0
I can't figure out how I feel about this - the swerve at the end was unpredictable and a bit jarring, but certainly took things to much more memorable places than the ensemble cast and musings on writing had me expecting. The shoe-horning in of hip musical references (too hip for the SMH, whose reviewer called them 'playfully invented') got a bit tiresome after a while, and a few of the side characters seemed almost entirely extraneous (the B & B owner, Carl, the cabbie, even Michael's ex-girlfriend). The descriptions of Hobart are affectionate and evocative. The book's supremely readable and quite compelling - I read it in about 3 sittings - but I'm not sure if it all really adds up to anything.
curatoriallyyours's review
5.0
It took me a little while to get used to the lack of speech punctuation, but the characters are beautifully painted and the book, as a whole, felt satisfyingly balanced. I didn't suspect the twist at the end until just before it happened - masterfully set up!
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