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A review by bxnnny
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i was very interested in reading this as i've read donna tartt's other books and this one (based off the little synopsis on the back) seemed the most interesting. unfortunately, it fell quite short.
the story mainly follows a little girl named harriet who is trying to solver her brother's murder which occurred a decade before. donna tartt's stories are usually slower paced and this one is no exception. however, this one didn't have much (or really any) payoff in the end and i felt really dissatisfied.
i enjoyed some of the prose and i found the characters to be interesting and realistic, even if they all drove me nuts, especially harriet's aunts, grandmother, and mother. it was very frustrating how no one ever really listened to harriet. her feelings about ida made me sad and were so touching. harriet's struggles with not having any real present parents or father-figures/mother-figures felt so raw and real and heartbreaking. it's awful seeing how much robin's death affected the entire family and how it all weighs on the children left behind, forever feeling that they'll never be enough or as loved or as doted on and nothing will ever be the same. it really is a good character study, this book.
the writing is of course great but the story itself was not what i expected it to be and there was so much that i wish had been more explored. lots of questions were left unanswered and maybe that's for the best in the grand scheme of things but idk. i wanted more! it really felt like this was just a snippet of these characters' lives and there's so much unknown before and after this moment in time. and maybe i'm just being greedy, wanting more things answered, but i really just did feel dissatisfied by the end.
the story mainly follows a little girl named harriet who is trying to solver her brother's murder which occurred a decade before. donna tartt's stories are usually slower paced and this one is no exception. however, this one didn't have much (or really any) payoff in the end and i felt really dissatisfied.
i enjoyed some of the prose and i found the characters to be interesting and realistic, even if they all drove me nuts, especially harriet's aunts, grandmother, and mother. it was very frustrating how no one ever really listened to harriet. her feelings about ida made me sad and were so touching. harriet's struggles with not having any real present parents or father-figures/mother-figures felt so raw and real and heartbreaking. it's awful seeing how much robin's death affected the entire family and how it all weighs on the children left behind, forever feeling that they'll never be enough or as loved or as doted on and nothing will ever be the same. it really is a good character study, this book.
the writing is of course great but the story itself was not what i expected it to be and there was so much that i wish had been more explored. lots of questions were left unanswered and maybe that's for the best in the grand scheme of things but idk. i wanted more! it really felt like this was just a snippet of these characters' lives and there's so much unknown before and after this moment in time. and maybe i'm just being greedy, wanting more things answered, but i really just did feel dissatisfied by the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief
there are a lot of slurs in this book, including the n word and the r word. snakes also have a prominent role and are described in detail, for anyone who has a fear of snakes! there is also a lot of descriptions of near-drowning and the feeling of not being able to breathe.