A review by frogggirl2
The Abstainer by Ian McGuire

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is best when it closely follows O'Connor's point of view.  As the book spins farther and farther afield, the plot meanders in an unrewarding way, leading to a very random and unsatisfying ending.  Still, the language is frequently quite beautiful.

"Everything different, he thinks, but everything the same.  Time becomes memory, and memory becomes the ditch in which we drown" (p. 245).