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bels_ak's review against another edition
3.25
Tis the season for Scottish unreliable narrators.
The main character is judgy and priggish and rude but I still wanted her to be ok and to do kissing.
Her story kind of feels like freedom and self discovery through mental illness which is quite unusual.
The main male character is not a good person either but in a far more intentional and cruel way. I think he might be real, it's always hard to tell with Graeme Macrae Burnet. I didn't care if he was ok and I didn't want him to do any kissing because he didn't deserve it.
The main character is judgy and priggish and rude but I still wanted her to be ok and to do kissing.
Her story kind of feels like freedom and self discovery through mental illness which is quite unusual.
The main male character is not a good person either but in a far more intentional and cruel way. I think he might be real, it's always hard to tell with Graeme Macrae Burnet. I didn't care if he was ok and I didn't want him to do any kissing because he didn't deserve it.
gaheehan's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
adaglas's review against another edition
4.5
Ok lowkey crazy book? The protagonist is definitely insane but also I love her. Loved the format going back and forth between the history and the story part!
grace_ann's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a novel when I requested it. It is NOT. This is a true tale masterfully woven together by [a:Graeme Macrae Burnet|8186576|Graeme Macrae Burnet|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1478606853p2/8186576.jpg].
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The chapters alternate between the notebook of an anonymous woman who’s assumed a different identity in an attempt to see the same therapist her sister went to before she took her life, and Burnets own biography of said therapist.
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Truly some of the most unique execution I’ve ever read and repeatedly had to remind myself this story wasn’t fiction because my heart pounded from chapter to chapter.
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The chapters alternate between the notebook of an anonymous woman who’s assumed a different identity in an attempt to see the same therapist her sister went to before she took her life, and Burnets own biography of said therapist.
.
Truly some of the most unique execution I’ve ever read and repeatedly had to remind myself this story wasn’t fiction because my heart pounded from chapter to chapter.
aidanswin4's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
mackplank30's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A really great read! I think the way the blurb advertises this book is slightly misleading, it was much less a straight forward thriller/mystery than I thought before I went into it. While there are elements of a classic British thriller, even down to a Daphne Du Maurier reference, the book ended up being a much more introspective piece. Going into a reflection on grief, womanhood and the self.
The main character enters into the office of the psychotherapist her sister was seeing shortly before her suicide, under a fake name hoping to find out if he was culpable in her sisters death. The author so perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the 1960s in the world of psychology within the character of Braithwraite. I enjoyed the brief biographical interludes on Braithwraite, depicting a familiar story of the upwardly mobile village boy who tried to completely distance themselves from their rural pasts; something common in post war Britain with higher education becoming more accessible.
As the unnamed main character attends more sessions with Braithwraite, she begins to focus more on her struggles fitting in with society and slowly unravels her own life. I felt the reflections the main character went through were written so well. I loved this book and was pleasantly surprised at how introspective the book was. I will definitely reread in the future.
phil212's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lottie_a's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
carolineohman's review
dark
reflective
medium-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
4.25