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A review by riada
The Guest Book by Sarah Blake
3.0
Sarah Blake's "The Guest Book" is a multigenerational family drama on social problems. For different reasons, it didn't resonate with me.
I struggled to relate to the characters and grasp their perspectives because of the writing style. They looked like strange characters at a grand party—beautiful from afar but unrecognizable up close. I felt like I was deciphering an old screenplay conversation full of mysterious riddles.
With their wealth and old-fashioned values, the Miltons were as approachable as penguins in a desert. At first, their attempts to adapt were funny, but they looked awkward and unconvincing like a duck learning ballroom dance. They grew tired of using "that's just how things were done" to justify their old ways. Their lack of effort and willingness to accept their flaws made it hard to sympathize with them.
Characters attempt to portray themselves as virtuous, yet repeatedly fall short without learning crucial lessons or recognizing their missteps. For instance, Evie denies the dark side of her distinguished family history despite evidence like a photo of her grandfather at a Nazi event. This reluctance to accept uncomfortable truths became a stumbling block to connecting with the story.
The storytelling, spread across multiple timelines and characters, lacked clear signposts, causing confusion in following the plot. In addition, the reading experience was diminished due to an abundance of unnecessary and tedious descriptions.
Given these criticisms, two book quotes stand out:
'Because people are people. People have complicated lives. Lives that don't necessarily fall so cleanly into black-and-white choices—people are blind, but still well-intended, and see as far as they can,'and
'We won’t speak of this. We needn’t speak of this, ever again.'
These quotes touch upon the complexity of human nature and the inclination to evade uncomfortable truths. However, while these themes were explored, they didn't strike a deep resonance with me as a reader.
I struggled to relate to the characters and grasp their perspectives because of the writing style. They looked like strange characters at a grand party—beautiful from afar but unrecognizable up close. I felt like I was deciphering an old screenplay conversation full of mysterious riddles.
With their wealth and old-fashioned values, the Miltons were as approachable as penguins in a desert. At first, their attempts to adapt were funny, but they looked awkward and unconvincing like a duck learning ballroom dance. They grew tired of using "that's just how things were done" to justify their old ways. Their lack of effort and willingness to accept their flaws made it hard to sympathize with them.
Characters attempt to portray themselves as virtuous, yet repeatedly fall short without learning crucial lessons or recognizing their missteps. For instance, Evie denies the dark side of her distinguished family history despite evidence like a photo of her grandfather at a Nazi event. This reluctance to accept uncomfortable truths became a stumbling block to connecting with the story.
The storytelling, spread across multiple timelines and characters, lacked clear signposts, causing confusion in following the plot. In addition, the reading experience was diminished due to an abundance of unnecessary and tedious descriptions.
Given these criticisms, two book quotes stand out:
'Because people are people. People have complicated lives. Lives that don't necessarily fall so cleanly into black-and-white choices—people are blind, but still well-intended, and see as far as they can,'and
'We won’t speak of this. We needn’t speak of this, ever again.'
These quotes touch upon the complexity of human nature and the inclination to evade uncomfortable truths. However, while these themes were explored, they didn't strike a deep resonance with me as a reader.