Reviews

The Melting by Lize Spit

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annaka79's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lkreader's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

alilysong's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

3.5 stars rounded down. one of the most shockingly disgusting books i’ve ever read. overall would give it a solid+ rating as a depressing/trauma filled literary thriller served with an extra fat heaping of filth. characters are of course the bleak and disturbed variety. i enjoy the trope of children doing effed up things and think it’s executed well here. book switches between past and present timelines, and i liked the details dropped as foreshadowing which kept me hooked and reading till the end. many scenes definitely had me physically recoiling by how gross and repulsive they were. this story really gives off the feeling of staring at and smelling a steaming pile of shit

that said, this book had no business being 410 pages. a lot of the flashbacks are episodic vignettes that don’t do much else except just pile on more trauma/nihilistic musings. this book is just too one note to be this freaking long imo. also i get this is a translation but the writing style wasn’t my favorite - it felt clunky and awkward. but maybe that’s the point, and i'll acknowledge that it is effective in conveying an ominous tone. also, also - book is def LiTeraRy and felt overwritten as all hell sometimes and not in a way i found enjoyable - like these are the internal thoughts of a 13 year old girl:

“i get up, fill a glass of water and sit back down. this is the most profound boredom i’ve ever felt. i no longer exist as one body, but as an entire group of people who’ve all run off in different directions. and the table doesn’t help. It’s not just for sitting, like this chair, it calls for some higher purpose.”

does anybody else read this and just scoff? no one? just me?

i wasn’t having too bad of a persnickety episode when i was reading this though so this didn’t bother me too much. i’m always more inclined to respect books that stick the landing and think the one here was stunning - an incredibly sickening, but worthy conclusion to a very messed up but generally well crafted tale