Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak

1 review

cursedepub's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-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

4.0

Another book that I thought I knew exactly how it would play out, that surprised me with its depth and immersive quality. Necessary People caught me off guard with its incisive, insightful, and expressively cynical narration, and painted a much more complex picture of two ambitious women enmeshed in a codependent relationship brimming with resentment and jealousy than I had thought it would. Many times I found myself taken aback by a clever turn of phrase that rang deeply true, or thrilled by how plot threads were woven in such a way that scenes clicked very satisfyingly into place. The characterization in this book is amazingly solid, and I would say almost every major player has dimensions that reveal themselves very naturally over the course of the novel. 

I will admit, the pivotal moment of
Stella's death
was much less... chilling than I thought it would be, based on the summary and blurbs advertising the novel. Honestly I expected something worse to happen or to be revealed. The book is more on the even-keeled side, with a low but steady tension haunting the whole novel, rather than sharp and breathtaking twists and turns or ups and downs. I enjoyed the slower pace, but nothing in the plot really comes as a surprise. 

This is also my first time listening to an audiobook rather than reading from a page. Vanessa Johansson's voice acting was great. She deftly switched between narration and dialogue, with unique and consistent inflections for all characters, and a steely yet youthful and emotional delivery that suited Violet perfectly. 
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