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A review by thepaintedlion
Radio Dark: a novel by Shane Hinton
2.0
For a novel that's only 127 pages long, it was a bit of a slog to get through.
I will say that Shane Hinton has some pretty unique and memorable turns-of-phrase and imagery, and he really excels at the body horror and physical discomfort element of this story. But apart from that, the characters fell flat for me, especially our protagonist Memphis, who I honestly feel like I know next to nothing about. He felt like a bit of an underwhelming blank slate character.
Didn't love how Cinncinati basically stopped being a character as soon as she hooks up with Memphis (and that's another thing--there didn't seem to be any good reason for her to get with his crusty ass except for the desperation and lack of options of the apocalypse. That's probably it, but I'm just not a fan.)
Also, this book ended SO QUICKLY--if this was an intentional, thematic choice, it didn't really land for me, as it just cut off, straight-up ended in the middle of a scene.
Overall, I think this book just wasn't my vibe--the writing wasn't terribly engaging, the characters were practically nonexistent, and the pacing of the story failed to culminate in any kind of climax or conclusion to make the journey satisfying.
I will say that Shane Hinton has some pretty unique and memorable turns-of-phrase and imagery, and he really excels at the body horror and physical discomfort element of this story. But apart from that, the characters fell flat for me, especially our protagonist Memphis, who I honestly feel like I know next to nothing about. He felt like a bit of an underwhelming blank slate character.
Didn't love how Cinncinati basically stopped being a character as soon as she hooks up with Memphis (and that's another thing--there didn't seem to be any good reason for her to get with his crusty ass except for the desperation and lack of options of the apocalypse. That's probably it, but I'm just not a fan.)
Also, this book ended SO QUICKLY--if this was an intentional, thematic choice, it didn't really land for me, as it just cut off, straight-up ended in the middle of a scene.
Overall, I think this book just wasn't my vibe--the writing wasn't terribly engaging, the characters were practically nonexistent, and the pacing of the story failed to culminate in any kind of climax or conclusion to make the journey satisfying.