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elsebeok's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Trafficking
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Colonisation
ecb_15's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault
tklassy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
My feelings around this book are a little bit muted. To be honest, it didn’t really make me feel that much emotion. I’m contemplating if I will read anything else by Schwartz. I just feel that there was quite a lot structurally wrong with this novel like it was fine. But that was about it and the ending… it felt rushed, and without the emotional punch in the gut that I needed for the story to really wrap up and have an emotional impact. The fact that the brothers entire life after he was kidnapped is just laid out to you in less than 15 pages felt lazy? I was also left feeling frustrated that there wasn’t a conversation about race at any point throughout this book. I think this lack of the discussion really undermined some of the more emotive parts of the book.
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
avisreadsandreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Police brutality, Dementia, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Torture, Abortion, Murder, Alcohol, and War
laurenipsum's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and War
maviemerveilleuse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Kidnapping, Grief, and Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
Minor: Miscarriage
cbiscan's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse
kimgravy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Trafficking and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence
rnaerin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault
serendipitysbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What Could Be Saved is the story of the Preston family. In 1972 the American family - mum, dad and three kids - were living in Thailand when eight year old Philip disappeared. Despite intensive efforts he was never found and the family returned to America and tried to get on with the rest of their lives. Forty years later Laura receives an email claiming to be from her missing brother. Throwing caution to the wind she heads straight to Thailand. Against this background a complicated family story unfolds - one full of flawed characters, secrets , misunderstandings and regrets.
The mystery part of this novel was the less successful element for me. The main details of Philip’s fate were pretty much exactly as I expected. Thankfully the mystery wasn’t the main focus. I thought the characterisation was great -all the main characters were fully rounded with individual stories of their own. I also thought the author did a great job of shining a light on the unflattering reality of American ex-pat life in Thailand at the time, not to mention American foreign policy as well. The way Thai staff were treated was often appalling and cringeworthy. The insular and slightly claustrophobic nature of the expat community was well captured. I liked the structure of the story which featured a dual timeline narrative and think the author did a great job of drawing all the individual threads together. We get five main narrative perspectives and it is only when all are combined that the full picture of the Preston’s life and the factors that contributed to Philip’s disappearance emerges.
A satisfying well-told story that I flew through.
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Pedophilia, and Kidnapping