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A review by chandaferguson
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is my first Karin Slaughter novel, and it was quite the experience. Luckily, I knew enough about this author to do some research before jumping into one of her novels, and this was certainly one that warranted that- sexual assault, a school shooting, a series of graphic deaths, explicit threats, and more trigger warnings. However, despite these warnings, the novel still has a high rating and mostly good reviews. I was curious how an author could depict these moments and still have readers enjoying the book overall.
“The Good Daughter” begins with sisters, Charlie and Samantha, and the story of how their family tragically and horribly fell apart. I was immediately getting “To Kill a Mockingbird” déjà vu from the undercurrent themes, characters, and even plot elements, which carried on throughout the novel. However, this lacked the class and subtlety that made that novel so impactful and successful. Then the book expands with a variety of plot threads that come together in the end with some closure, but also leaving room for an obvious sequel.
What made this stand apart was the shock value that Slaughter has for writing gripping action and suspense. I’ve never had my heart race like this while reading before, and though oftentimes it was for the horror of the threats in the story, it also had an impact that gave me insight into those who love these dark stories, but for me, the darkness was overwhelming, which made me dislike it overall. I personally love thrillers that allude to the darker elements of the story, but don’t explicitly articulate them, and I think for this one to have *SPOILER ALERT* murder, violence, and rape, and then immediately a school shooting and the murder of a little girl was emotionally formidable without reason. Every time I began settling into the novel, Slaughter would add another disturbing or traumatic moment to layer the suspense with impact, and I’d remember again how this was more difficult than enjoyable to read. It was unnecessarily detailed with gory, vulgar and distressing moments, and for those reasons, I also don’t think this is a book I would recommend or a series I’ll continue.
“The Good Daughter” begins with sisters, Charlie and Samantha, and the story of how their family tragically and horribly fell apart. I was immediately getting “To Kill a Mockingbird” déjà vu from the undercurrent themes, characters, and even plot elements, which carried on throughout the novel. However, this lacked the class and subtlety that made that novel so impactful and successful. Then the book expands with a variety of plot threads that come together in the end with some closure, but also leaving room for an obvious sequel.
What made this stand apart was the shock value that Slaughter has for writing gripping action and suspense. I’ve never had my heart race like this while reading before, and though oftentimes it was for the horror of the threats in the story, it also had an impact that gave me insight into those who love these dark stories, but for me, the darkness was overwhelming, which made me dislike it overall. I personally love thrillers that allude to the darker elements of the story, but don’t explicitly articulate them, and I think for this one to have *SPOILER ALERT* murder, violence, and rape, and then immediately a school shooting and the murder of a little girl was emotionally formidable without reason. Every time I began settling into the novel, Slaughter would add another disturbing or traumatic moment to layer the suspense with impact, and I’d remember again how this was more difficult than enjoyable to read. It was unnecessarily detailed with gory, vulgar and distressing moments, and for those reasons, I also don’t think this is a book I would recommend or a series I’ll continue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Mass/school shootings, and Murder