lisagray68's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
anneaustex's review
I found this book really intriguing. For me the characters were mostly unlikeable but I was still interested in their story and how the web was woven. With a foreign setting that was a mystery to me and to Robert, the main character, it had a feeling that was very dark and atmospheric. Money, drugs, and greed fed into the trials that befell Robert and it was hard to imagine how he was going to end up in a good place. Overall this story provided a fast paced game of cat and mouse that was very enjoyable.
madtraveler's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe for the first 80 pages I thought, waaaay too much description of the setting and not much going on in the story. But I stuck with it and was rewarded. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for what felt a lot like colorful travel writing at first. the 3rd person omniscient pov was useful to create a lot of dramatic irony which made impeding train wrecks in the story that much more agonizing. Doesn't really make me want to go back to Cambodia though. Ha.
missjackieoh's review against another edition
5.0
Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osbourne was such a slow, rich, and gritty masterpiece. The whole time I felt as if I was wading through mud and perfectly content to continue on in this way; slowly making my way to the inevitable ending.
I can’t say I had any expectations as the book progressed. I was happy to just experience everything as it came. Very languidly, shocked but hardly surprised by anything. It was a very odd experience. One I would like to relive from every angle possible.
Osbourne really puts you in the story. I have never been to Cambodia, and I have only had a mere curiosity about it. After reading this book I feel so intimidate with the country that I feel as if I have traveled there myself.
The characters are both despicable and endearing. You can’t help but get attached to Robert and Sophal, everyone else is an odd quagmire of good and evil. Cambodia seems to breed those types, neither descent or cruel; merely just moving along in a world where you look out for yourself because no one else will.
I love the idea of Karma. Wither you believe that our actions produce a type of fate you cannot extricate yourself from or you don’t, it is clear that in Cambodia you must watch what you do to others because you will most likely get what’s coming to you later.
Brilliant book. Lawrence Osborne is definitely on my radar!
I received this book for free from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my review, my opinions are my own.
I can’t say I had any expectations as the book progressed. I was happy to just experience everything as it came. Very languidly, shocked but hardly surprised by anything. It was a very odd experience. One I would like to relive from every angle possible.
Osbourne really puts you in the story. I have never been to Cambodia, and I have only had a mere curiosity about it. After reading this book I feel so intimidate with the country that I feel as if I have traveled there myself.
The characters are both despicable and endearing. You can’t help but get attached to Robert and Sophal, everyone else is an odd quagmire of good and evil. Cambodia seems to breed those types, neither descent or cruel; merely just moving along in a world where you look out for yourself because no one else will.
I love the idea of Karma. Wither you believe that our actions produce a type of fate you cannot extricate yourself from or you don’t, it is clear that in Cambodia you must watch what you do to others because you will most likely get what’s coming to you later.
Brilliant book. Lawrence Osborne is definitely on my radar!
I received this book for free from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my review, my opinions are my own.
errantdreams's review against another edition
4.0
As a note, there is an off-screen rape that happens; if you need to avoid such things, don’t read this book. (It is not lurid nor was it used to titillate.)
The book was described in the cover notes as a ‘sophisticated game of cat and mouse’, which led me to believe this would be more of a thriller than it is. Small parts of it would not be out of place in a thriller, but in general this is a slow, languorous tale. It unwinds in a relaxed fashion, and the real goal seems to be capturing the feel of Cambodia. The plot feels secondary to that. Which is fine, actually, because Osborne does a wonderful job of creating atmosphere for his tale.
I like the fact that sometimes we get Robert’s (foreigner) view of Cambodia, and sometimes we get a native’s view for various reasons. It illuminates different aspects of the place.
I had no idea how the story would end, and it took some unusual turns. That was nicely done. There are little things, like one paragraph taking up two pages. There are one or two character decisions that didn’t entirely work for me. But overall, this is a gorgeous set-piece. I’d read it for the feel rather than the plot; although the plot is good and the characters interesting, it takes a back seat to the locale.
Book provided free by Blogging for Books for review
Original review on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2016/05/review-hunters-in-the-dark-lawrence-osborne/
The book was described in the cover notes as a ‘sophisticated game of cat and mouse’, which led me to believe this would be more of a thriller than it is. Small parts of it would not be out of place in a thriller, but in general this is a slow, languorous tale. It unwinds in a relaxed fashion, and the real goal seems to be capturing the feel of Cambodia. The plot feels secondary to that. Which is fine, actually, because Osborne does a wonderful job of creating atmosphere for his tale.
I like the fact that sometimes we get Robert’s (foreigner) view of Cambodia, and sometimes we get a native’s view for various reasons. It illuminates different aspects of the place.
I had no idea how the story would end, and it took some unusual turns. That was nicely done. There are little things, like one paragraph taking up two pages. There are one or two character decisions that didn’t entirely work for me. But overall, this is a gorgeous set-piece. I’d read it for the feel rather than the plot; although the plot is good and the characters interesting, it takes a back seat to the locale.
Book provided free by Blogging for Books for review
Original review on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2016/05/review-hunters-in-the-dark-lawrence-osborne/
bluepigeon's review
3.0
Hunters in the Dark is written by a man. Perhaps this is a strange thing to say about a book, but it is that particular kind of writing that lets you know that it is certainly a white man of privilege who is well aware (and perhaps a bit humble and defiant) about his privilege, his manhood and his ex-pat blues, that particular way of writing that Hemingway, for example, had. It's hard to describe it, and I am sure others have done a much better job of describing it, but it is unmistakable, and so it is either the type of writing you like or you don't. I, for one, don't like this kind of writing, but I can't say Hunters in the Dark is not worth reading. I could say it is really a matter of taste.
Despite this kind of writing, the ex-pats in Hunters in the Dark are a bit vague. Perhaps it is their nature to be vague, aimlessly wandering, drifting, through poverty and war stricken lands of other people's homes, crashing here and there, leaving dents, not looking back... Despite all the internal dialogs about why one drifts, why this aimlessness, why this existential crisis, I left the book not really knowing why. Perhaps Osborne's intention is precisely that; it is unknowable why. The motivations and daily lives of the Cambodians are somewhat clearer, their disdain for the barangs, their struggle to make ends meet, or their aimless, rich lives full of parties and drugs and disdain for the lower classes. Somehow the book had a better grip on "the other" than the "self."
Thus, the most memorable characters are the taxi driver (Ouksa) and the policeman, both Cambodian men who do not hesitate to grab an opportunity when it presents itself, no matter how morally or ethically questionable the decision might be. In this desperation, the whole nation is laid bare, emerging from a war that, we are reminded repeatedly, killed one-fourth of the population, emerging, as one character describes, in a way that leaves them unable ever to love again.
The existential ramblings bring the plot, in a slow, meandering way, to a rather more action-packed last 100 pages, but perhaps 150 plus pages is a bit too long to get there. The oppressive weather and the aimless and seemingly inconsequential decisions along the way do not suffice to build a thrill, but once that thing that's supposed to happen happens, the story flows easier. In a way, it's like waiting for the rain to come down, getting drenched, and then finally, enjoying the dry, hot weather after the storm has passed (which, incidentally, happens every ten pages or so).
Recommended for those who like sugarcane fields, up-cycled furniture, and iced coffee.
Thanks to LibraryThing and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Despite this kind of writing, the ex-pats in Hunters in the Dark are a bit vague. Perhaps it is their nature to be vague, aimlessly wandering, drifting, through poverty and war stricken lands of other people's homes, crashing here and there, leaving dents, not looking back... Despite all the internal dialogs about why one drifts, why this aimlessness, why this existential crisis, I left the book not really knowing why. Perhaps Osborne's intention is precisely that; it is unknowable why. The motivations and daily lives of the Cambodians are somewhat clearer, their disdain for the barangs, their struggle to make ends meet, or their aimless, rich lives full of parties and drugs and disdain for the lower classes. Somehow the book had a better grip on "the other" than the "self."
Thus, the most memorable characters are the taxi driver (Ouksa) and the policeman, both Cambodian men who do not hesitate to grab an opportunity when it presents itself, no matter how morally or ethically questionable the decision might be. In this desperation, the whole nation is laid bare, emerging from a war that, we are reminded repeatedly, killed one-fourth of the population, emerging, as one character describes, in a way that leaves them unable ever to love again.
The existential ramblings bring the plot, in a slow, meandering way, to a rather more action-packed last 100 pages, but perhaps 150 plus pages is a bit too long to get there. The oppressive weather and the aimless and seemingly inconsequential decisions along the way do not suffice to build a thrill, but once that thing that's supposed to happen happens, the story flows easier. In a way, it's like waiting for the rain to come down, getting drenched, and then finally, enjoying the dry, hot weather after the storm has passed (which, incidentally, happens every ten pages or so).
Recommended for those who like sugarcane fields, up-cycled furniture, and iced coffee.
Thanks to LibraryThing and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
mysticaltragedyturtle's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I usually love plots like this, the interconnectedness of all the characters, but this kind of fell flat for me. This just wasn't for me.