lifstrand's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
Awesome read. Troubling at times, definitely dark, but masterfully written.
faustian_bargain's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
gentlemanjeff's review against another edition
4.0
Elizabeth Hand's first in the Cass Neary series is a colorful, thoughtful thriller. Reminiscent of a Stephen King Castle Rock story mixed with Silence of the Lambs, it describes the former life of a shiftless teen who became intoxicated with the punk music scene in early 1980s New York. Living on the skids, she's is inspired to compile a legitimate photography portfolio which earns her an exhibition and eventually leads to a successful book deal that makes her a minor celebrity for an ephemeral period before a spiral into drugs and nihilism, anonymizing herself for 20 years before being recommended by an old friend to interview an eccentric artist. The protagonist's caustic personality coupled with consistently unpleasant surroundings reminded me of Cipher in the best way, and the events and characters of the story were almost as robust as in Wylding Hall. While the small town and the island, Paswegas, become characters in their own right, the surroundings don't feel as fleshed out as what you might expect in a Castle Rock story (the name of the motel owner as well as the reference to the Micmac, not to mention the setting, make the resemblance hard to miss), and the ending is far from any kind of revelation, though it's neat and satisfying enough. I'd be interested, if not desperately eager, to read more of the Cass Neary story.
carolynf's review against another edition
4.0
Cass Neary is a 40-something drug addict who once published a book of photographs and now works in a chain bookstore. She is cynical, morbid, and self-destructive, partly due to the loss of her girlfriend on 9/11. She gets the opportunity to go interview one of the photographers who inspired her and treks from NYC to northern Maine, making as many poor choices as possible along they way. This is the first character I've ever encountered who actually lives life like it is a video game, completely detached with only an eye for what can be pillaged from NPCs along the way. Despite all of this she is actually an endearing character, and I'm very glad I stuck it out through the first chapter or two of backstory. Once she gets to Maine she encounters a former commune that went bust, and a recent rash of missing girls and pets, which is never a good combination. The last few chapters are pretty riveting and definitely composed with an eye to the big screen, assuming that Hollywood could get behind a bisexual heroine who does her best work high on Adderall.
muddypuddle's review against another edition
3.0
There were parts of this book that were hard from me to imagine....because there are a lot of references to photography and processing film, that sort of thing. The setting, in downeast Maine in winter, I can imagine. It's dreary, poor, bleak. The protagonist, Cassandra Neary, is one of the most unlikable characters I've come across. But that makes her incredibly interesting, actually. I'm guessing she's around 40, friendless, a kleptomaniac, hardly eats, survives on Jim Beam and speed. A real downer. This was quite a story, somewhat of a mystery, but more of a contemporary realistic fiction that skirts the edge of a really dark, somewhat bizarre (though real, unfortunately) world. (And I will go on to read another, because I liked it more than I didn't....)
eak1013's review against another edition
5.0
A book so exquisitely tailored to my own tastes, with the added bonus of writing that's just violently good.
I mean. The seedy side of New York punk (which, you know, is actually saying something). Photography as a metaphor and a plot point and descriptions of which make my eyes ache to see these photos that don't exist. Creepy small town Maine. Almost noir-y mystery, with Adderall and crystal meth in addition to the hard-drinking whiskey. A mystery that sneaks up on you, that hits so many of the genre notes but only in retrospect, because you're too wrapped up in the messy sprawl of a heroine. Sex and sexuality as a matter of course. Creepy, horrific violence that is not about the fetishization of dead women. The merest whiff of fantasy/supernatural which adds to the story but is not necessary to explain the plot. Women, many women, being deeply, profoundly fucked up, without moralizing about their fucked uppedness.
And that's just the story. There's also what the author does with words, the way she slides them between your ribs like a knife, leaving you bleeding and delighted at the same time.
I mean. The seedy side of New York punk (which, you know, is actually saying something). Photography as a metaphor and a plot point and descriptions of which make my eyes ache to see these photos that don't exist. Creepy small town Maine. Almost noir-y mystery, with Adderall and crystal meth in addition to the hard-drinking whiskey. A mystery that sneaks up on you, that hits so many of the genre notes but only in retrospect, because you're too wrapped up in the messy sprawl of a heroine. Sex and sexuality as a matter of course. Creepy, horrific violence that is not about the fetishization of dead women. The merest whiff of fantasy/supernatural which adds to the story but is not necessary to explain the plot. Women, many women, being deeply, profoundly fucked up, without moralizing about their fucked uppedness.
And that's just the story. There's also what the author does with words, the way she slides them between your ribs like a knife, leaving you bleeding and delighted at the same time.
lisagray68's review against another edition
4.0
Whoa. This is a pretty gritty mystery series. The third book got great reviews, so I decided to start with the first and read the whole thing. This protagonist is one messed up girl, that's for sure. Not for the faint hearted, this. But kept me page turning during one long flight. On to the second....
ericgaryanderson's review against another edition
4.0
This is an amazingly streamlined gothic suspense novel with a druggin', boozin', pretty much washed-up NYC punk photographer as its first-person narrator. She goes up to the Maine coast in pursuit of an interview with another woman photographer who's a lot like her, only in her 70s. Quiet mayhem ensues. The narrative really propels the story in a good way, and Hand is really good at evoking a wide variety of exteriors and interiors: crappy early 60s motel decor, eco-postmodern houses on desolate islands, the islands themselves. You might not emphathize with the narrator or understand why she does some of the things she does, but all in all this is an expertly paced, beautifully constructed book.
biondeletture's review against another edition
2.0
Mi aspettavo qualcosa di più leggendo la sinossi e guardando la copertina. Sicuramente si sente che l'autrice viene dal mondo fantasy, molte cose sono un po' campate in aria, e forse più che un thriller è un romanzo sulla fotografia... Attimi di tensione solamente verso la fine, e a sprazzi, in un susseguirsi di immagini surreali e difficili da mettere insieme. Per non parlare dei refusi (AIUTO!) che rendono snervante la lettura. Spero che dalla mia edizione ad oggi almeno questo sia stato sistemato, ma non vi consiglio di leggerlo per scoprirlo.