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A review by pandothiel
L'estate che cambiò tutto by Beth Lewis
2.0
What a disturbing and depressing read.
In the 1970s, in a small town in the US, four teenagers find a dead body. Ensues a bit of teenage investigation, trouble, and a loooot of abuse.
It is a bleak and hopeless environment in which everything that can be wrong, will be wrong. There were very few moments of relief throughout this novel, too few and far in between, that were not enough to really lift up the mood and provide the respite that was needed from this claustrophobic envrionment.
I found the story quite predictable, but also very unsatisfying. The main character is a 13 to 15 year old teenager; not rich, not physically strong, traumatised, with not much going on for himself. There's nothing with it in itself... But it makes for a useless protagonist who ends up being the witness, rather than the actor, of his own story.
Of all the discoveries, he cannot act on any. He stumbles, in happenstance, upon the various clues and pieces that lead to the resolution of the puzzle, without really fighting for them. Once a revelation is made, it's wait and see until the next one.
Figuring out the puzzle didn't achieve anything. The last events were not really concerned with it. The truth never came out. None of the villains paid for their action. Even the resolution wasn't the reward of the main character's actions, but was brought upon by friends that he had abandoned months prior. He just felt... Useless.
The most disturbing part? Lovely.
All in all, this book was too long, the pacing too slow, and not gripping enough to make for a good read. I couldn't recommend, but maybe it's just me not enjoying this genre!
In the 1970s, in a small town in the US, four teenagers find a dead body. Ensues a bit of teenage investigation, trouble, and a loooot of abuse.
It is a bleak and hopeless environment in which everything that can be wrong, will be wrong. There were very few moments of relief throughout this novel, too few and far in between, that were not enough to really lift up the mood and provide the respite that was needed from this claustrophobic envrionment.
I found the story quite predictable, but also very unsatisfying. The main character is a 13 to 15 year old teenager; not rich, not physically strong, traumatised, with not much going on for himself. There's nothing with it in itself... But it makes for a useless protagonist who ends up being the witness, rather than the actor, of his own story.
Of all the discoveries, he cannot act on any. He stumbles, in happenstance, upon the various clues and pieces that lead to the resolution of the puzzle, without really fighting for them. Once a revelation is made, it's wait and see until the next one.
Figuring out the puzzle didn't achieve anything. The last events were not really concerned with it. The truth never came out. None of the villains paid for their action. Even the resolution wasn't the reward of the main character's actions, but was brought upon by friends that he had abandoned months prior. He just felt... Useless.
The most disturbing part?
Spoiler
The climax being the mother pimping her FOURTEEN year old daughter to a rich man after beating her up for years, and then killing her with a knife.All in all, this book was too long, the pacing too slow, and not gripping enough to make for a good read. I couldn't recommend, but maybe it's just me not enjoying this genre!