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A review by donasbooks
Northwoods by Amy Pease
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked the mental illness representation, it was really solid work. But I found the plot to be too subtle here, considering the challenging themes.
Full review:
Thank you to my newest autobuy author Amy Pease, publishers Atria Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of NORTHWOODS. I found an audiobook copy on Libby. All views are mine.
"He swallowed over and over, until his throat hurt and his mouth was bone dry. He tried to reason with himself: the boat and its passenger weren't there anymore! Besides, I'd he didn't follow the agent to the water, she might ask him why. Or worse, she might come to her own conclusions. What finally got him out of the car were the mosquitoes." loc.1419
NORTHWOODS is an example of how writers can appropriately empathize with their mentally ill characters (in this case addiction) and the readers who will get to know those characters. It's difficult for writers to treat such characters with humanity, and even for readers to.give that much grace in such a hard world. Pease strikes this perfect balance in her debut novel, a literary mystery with a mmc with PTSD and addiction issues. I was excited to see how readers rsponded to this depiction of mental illness, which i consider in my experience with PTSD to be well-researched and impeccably applied. (I read numerous reviews that said the reader suffered while reading about the character– not in empathy or even sympathy, but that the character's addiction and PTSD made the readers uncomfortable and mad at the character, or put off the book. Thank goodness the author treated this character with the humanity the readers are incapable of. And is it any wonder mentally ill people are so stigmatized and alienated in western capitalist culture?) It is good to find fiction that attempts to understand the plight of the addict, rather than just judging him. Coupled with the trigger warnings in the front matter, this has made me a permanent Pease reader.
While this might have been the most important subject for me, this book has much more to offer. Pease's style is efficient, bold, and she can make her way around a description.
While this is a character driven novel, which is not usually my first choice, the characters and relationships develop along interesting lines. I particularly love the precarious dynamic between the mmc and his mom / boss.
The plot is a little flimsy and it's hard to keep hold of the primary conflict here. The ending can easily pass by unnoticed because of the flat story arc. I had to backtrack for it on my audiobook because the book ended when I expected to find another couple chapters!
All said, a really enjoyable read. I recommend this for fans of Gothic elements, mental health and addiction rep, unlikable leads, strong character development, and literary-genre fiction mashup.
Reading Notes:
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. Pease gets mega points for trigger warnings in the front matter!
2. Dang this writer has a serious knack for description! "Rachel had clearly been camping out there for a while, in a nest of bed pillows and tangled blankets, the glass coffee table pulled up to the edge of the couch. It was covered with dirty dishes, smudged cocktail glasses, and an overflowing ashtray. Half a dozen prescription pill bottles sat uncapped, and a few more were visible on the floor beneath the coffee table. A velvet-lined jewelry box, the sort that would hold a huge diamond necklace but probably now held drugs, sat on the glass, and there was a plate-sized splotch of something on the carpeting. The room smelled of cigarettes and overripe fruit, and an overflowing trash bag sat in the middle of the kitchen. The reflected light from the television danced on the glass coffee table as the white-suited preacher was replaced by an advertisement for expensive adjustable beds. It was a familiar tableau—the mess, the drugs, the woman huddled on the sofa. Only this time, Ben wasn’t there. For the first time tonight, Marge’s eyes pricked with emotion." loc.311
3. Pease clearly did her research on addiction and she's handling the subject well: At least so far! I'll edit this comment if I change my mind.
4. This is a good mystery, tangled up with a theme that hits close to home for a lot of Americans. It makes for compelling reading!
5. This is one of the most humane treatments of addiction I've seen in fiction. Thank you to the author for empathizing so deeply with her characters and readers 💜
6. I really like characters that react naturally, like here, but sometimes it goes on for too long or otherwise derails the plot or even the other characters.
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. I really like this book, but the story focuses too much on the characters, in disservice to the plot, which is the mystery. Huge chunks of this book go by without any mention of the case at hand.
Rating: 🩸🩸🩸🩸 /5 drops of blood
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Sep 11 '24
Format: Digital arc; Audiobook, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🔍 mysteries
👨👩👧👦 family stories, family drama
👤 mental illness and addiction
🧌 genre mashup
🕯 gothic elements
Full review:
Thank you to my newest autobuy author Amy Pease, publishers Atria Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of NORTHWOODS. I found an audiobook copy on Libby. All views are mine.
"He swallowed over and over, until his throat hurt and his mouth was bone dry. He tried to reason with himself: the boat and its passenger weren't there anymore! Besides, I'd he didn't follow the agent to the water, she might ask him why. Or worse, she might come to her own conclusions. What finally got him out of the car were the mosquitoes." loc.1419
NORTHWOODS is an example of how writers can appropriately empathize with their mentally ill characters (in this case addiction) and the readers who will get to know those characters. It's difficult for writers to treat such characters with humanity, and even for readers to.give that much grace in such a hard world. Pease strikes this perfect balance in her debut novel, a literary mystery with a mmc with PTSD and addiction issues. I was excited to see how readers rsponded to this depiction of mental illness, which i consider in my experience with PTSD to be well-researched and impeccably applied. (I read numerous reviews that said the reader suffered while reading about the character– not in empathy or even sympathy, but that the character's addiction and PTSD made the readers uncomfortable and mad at the character, or put off the book. Thank goodness the author treated this character with the humanity the readers are incapable of. And is it any wonder mentally ill people are so stigmatized and alienated in western capitalist culture?) It is good to find fiction that attempts to understand the plight of the addict, rather than just judging him. Coupled with the trigger warnings in the front matter, this has made me a permanent Pease reader.
While this might have been the most important subject for me, this book has much more to offer. Pease's style is efficient, bold, and she can make her way around a description.
While this is a character driven novel, which is not usually my first choice, the characters and relationships develop along interesting lines. I particularly love the precarious dynamic between the mmc and his mom / boss.
The plot is a little flimsy and it's hard to keep hold of the primary conflict here. The ending can easily pass by unnoticed because of the flat story arc. I had to backtrack for it on my audiobook because the book ended when I expected to find another couple chapters!
All said, a really enjoyable read. I recommend this for fans of Gothic elements, mental health and addiction rep, unlikable leads, strong character development, and literary-genre fiction mashup.
Reading Notes:
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. Pease gets mega points for trigger warnings in the front matter!
2. Dang this writer has a serious knack for description! "Rachel had clearly been camping out there for a while, in a nest of bed pillows and tangled blankets, the glass coffee table pulled up to the edge of the couch. It was covered with dirty dishes, smudged cocktail glasses, and an overflowing ashtray. Half a dozen prescription pill bottles sat uncapped, and a few more were visible on the floor beneath the coffee table. A velvet-lined jewelry box, the sort that would hold a huge diamond necklace but probably now held drugs, sat on the glass, and there was a plate-sized splotch of something on the carpeting. The room smelled of cigarettes and overripe fruit, and an overflowing trash bag sat in the middle of the kitchen. The reflected light from the television danced on the glass coffee table as the white-suited preacher was replaced by an advertisement for expensive adjustable beds. It was a familiar tableau—the mess, the drugs, the woman huddled on the sofa. Only this time, Ben wasn’t there. For the first time tonight, Marge’s eyes pricked with emotion." loc.311
3. Pease clearly did her research on addiction and she's handling the subject well: At least so far! I'll edit this comment if I change my mind.
4. This is a good mystery, tangled up with a theme that hits close to home for a lot of Americans. It makes for compelling reading!
5. This is one of the most humane treatments of addiction I've seen in fiction. Thank you to the author for empathizing so deeply with her characters and readers 💜
6. I really like characters that react naturally, like here, but sometimes it goes on for too long or otherwise derails the plot or even the other characters.
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. I really like this book, but the story focuses too much on the characters, in disservice to the plot, which is the mystery. Huge chunks of this book go by without any mention of the case at hand.
Rating: 🩸🩸🩸🩸 /5 drops of blood
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Sep 11 '24
Format: Digital arc; Audiobook, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🔍 mysteries
👨👩👧👦 family stories, family drama
👤 mental illness and addiction
🧌 genre mashup
🕯 gothic elements
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Violence, Vomit, Grief, and Murder