A review by taika2112
Gone Again by Doug Johnstone
1.0
This is essentially a basic potboiler -- a generic mystery with some domestic drama thrown in. On the quality and strength of writing, this might've been a 3/5 or so, however the two biggest issues with the book are its total lack of coherent plot, and its weird undercurrent of misogyny.
The plot and resolution come from nowhere, feel terribly convenient, and all kinds of other plot threads never quite get resolved or brought up again in a meaningful way.
And why, exactly, is the main character so annoyed with women in general? At some point you expected it to be an actual function of the story, but instead our male hero goes around sneering at basically every woman he encounters. Women with jobs are useless and stupid. Women without jobs are money-hungry leaches.
It's a gross recurring theme that spoiled any enjoyment I might have had, and the book was killed off completely with its odd and unsatisfying ending.
The plot and resolution come from nowhere, feel terribly convenient, and all kinds of other plot threads never quite get resolved or brought up again in a meaningful way.
And why, exactly, is the main character so annoyed with women in general? At some point you expected it to be an actual function of the story, but instead our male hero goes around sneering at basically every woman he encounters. Women with jobs are useless and stupid. Women without jobs are money-hungry leaches.
It's a gross recurring theme that spoiled any enjoyment I might have had, and the book was killed off completely with its odd and unsatisfying ending.