A review by cindytheskull
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.75

This was a challenge to get through despite the very good premise and start.

The narrator becomes more and more unlikable throughout the book.

The gothic elements are simply not enough to make it a gothic novel, the supposed “mystery” isn’t thoroughly articulated, and the first person perspective makes the narration stilted, since what supposedly happened is referred to the reader by someone who wasn’t even there. 

I cannot recommend this book and I really had to make myself complete it, since I was halfway through before I realized the good start wasn’t being followed by good story development or ideas.