Reviews

The Break by Phillip Gwynne

animelanie's review

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4.0

Read for PRC
This contemporary novel looks at the relationships between Australia and Indonesia, as well as the punishments for crime, particularly the death penalty. Captivating read with multiple perspectives.

Review for ReadPlus
Set mainly in the Indonesian island of Bali, this action packed coming of age story is fast paced, full of strained relationships, lies and twists throughout. Told from multiple perspectives, the short chapters enable readers to proceed swiftly through the well written story. Readers will find the characters relatable and enjoy learning more about each character as the story progresses. Several common threads are found through the book - surfing, justice and truth. Ideal for fans of contemporary fiction, surfing and readers of true crime, as the death penalty is still controversially in practice today. This is a harsh reality that has been written about really well in the book, with numerous characters having different thoughts about the case described. With partying, swearing, prison life and the death penalty, it is recommended for readers 12 and up, ideally those mature enough to handle the themes.
Themes: Contemporary; Surfing; Australia; Bali; Drugs/Drug Smuggling; Prison; Justice; Human Rights.

jena_mcdowall's review

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adventurous inspiring tense medium-paced

4.5

melbsreads's review

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

3.0

Trigger warnings: drug smuggling, capital punishment, gun violence, blood, medical procedures, police corruption, hit and run (in the past), kidnapping, murder, homophobia.

Look, I've read a couple of Phillip Gwynne's books in the past and been kind of meh about them. The premise of this one sounded interesting and it's set in Indonesia, so I hoped it would be a quick easy read to cross that off the list for my Read Around the World challenge. Uuuuuuuuuuunfortunately, this proved to be an absolute SLOG to get through and I have no idea why. 

I didn't really care for Taj as a protagonist, and I felt like this a) was trying to do too much with too many plot threads while also b) glossing over a lot of the interesting bits. It honestly felt like about 90% of the plot hinged completely on contrivance and I found myself rolling my eyes at every convenient solution rather than wondering how the hell they were going to get themselves out of any given predicament. 

Add in too many protagonists and some random and unnecessary romantic plotlines and this was FINE but not for me. 
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