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A review by cultbyproxy
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was very hopeful going into this. Having come out of a reading slump I needed a book that could hold my attention and have a compelling story. One that would leave me at the edge of my seat, my breath caught and my eyes glued to the pages.
What I got was a decent book that was well written but didn’t live up to the expectations that all the reviews I’d read had built up. It was, sadly, rather dull and nothing about it made me feel like I knew the characters in any way. Sager managed to write the most tragic of character backstories while making the reader constantly feel like the Jules was just out of reach. There was barely any emotional connection built with the characters and maybe that was intentional, a way of truly depicting Jules’ trust issues. But it didn’t feel like I was observing a story unfold in real-time, but rather like I was hearing it relayed by someone who was neither there, nor knew the characters personally. Like the entire story was neighbourhood gossip.
What I got was a decent book that was well written but didn’t live up to the expectations that all the reviews I’d read had built up. It was, sadly, rather dull and nothing about it made me feel like I knew the characters in any way. Sager managed to write the most tragic of character backstories while making the reader constantly feel like the Jules was just out of reach. There was barely any emotional connection built with the characters and maybe that was intentional, a way of truly depicting Jules’ trust issues. But it didn’t feel like I was observing a story unfold in real-time, but rather like I was hearing it relayed by someone who was neither there, nor knew the characters personally. Like the entire story was neighbourhood gossip.
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Suicide, and Blood