A review by rotellareads
The Infinite Onion by Alice Archer
3.0
I almost gave up on this book at 25%. It was a major struggle to get into and feel invested. I didn’t care for either main characters but the uniqueness of the story kept me in its grasp. I knew there had to be more if I could just keep on reading. So I skimmed a bit, focusing mostly on dialogue until I felt somewhat intrigued and more invested which came around 75% through the story. I had a hard time considering this novel to be a “M/M Romance”, as it read much more like a generic fiction book up until the last quarter.
Grant and Oliver were both stubborn and manipulative. They had their own secrets and reservations that made any kind of healthy relationship pretty much impossible. They were grown men who behaved emotionally as children.
I absolutely loathed Freddie. His character brought nothing but drama to the story and he stuck around far longer than necessary. I will say I quite enjoyed his departure from the story and loved how Oliver handled it.
By the end of the read, I’d somewhat warmed to both men, knowing their pasts and tragic tales. I felt for Oliver and his well kept secrets. I understood Grant’s laziness and lack of interest in growing up. I even understood the extremely strange relationship both men had with the area youth on the island.
I didn’t understand the onion aspect at all! I would have never picked up this book based on the title alone, which does the book a great disservice.
Overall I rated this read a very generous 3 stars. The writing was great, although at times went deep into the weeds. I enjoyed the sarcasm and wittiness that came out of multiple characters in the story. The author has a wonderful sense of humor. I think there was just way too much going on in this solitary book. Too many arcing storylines of past drama and pain that took away from the big picture. It seemed like every single supporting character brought their own chaos into the story. It was just a lot to keep straight and I felt overwhelmed at times as a reader, trying to keep track of everything. The ending was also a bit open ended, but I was actually okay with it.
I received an ARC of this book from A Novel Take PR in exchange for an honest review.
Grant and Oliver were both stubborn and manipulative. They had their own secrets and reservations that made any kind of healthy relationship pretty much impossible. They were grown men who behaved emotionally as children.
I absolutely loathed Freddie. His character brought nothing but drama to the story and he stuck around far longer than necessary. I will say I quite enjoyed his departure from the story and loved how Oliver handled it.
By the end of the read, I’d somewhat warmed to both men, knowing their pasts and tragic tales. I felt for Oliver and his well kept secrets. I understood Grant’s laziness and lack of interest in growing up. I even understood the extremely strange relationship both men had with the area youth on the island.
I didn’t understand the onion aspect at all! I would have never picked up this book based on the title alone, which does the book a great disservice.
Overall I rated this read a very generous 3 stars. The writing was great, although at times went deep into the weeds. I enjoyed the sarcasm and wittiness that came out of multiple characters in the story. The author has a wonderful sense of humor. I think there was just way too much going on in this solitary book. Too many arcing storylines of past drama and pain that took away from the big picture. It seemed like every single supporting character brought their own chaos into the story. It was just a lot to keep straight and I felt overwhelmed at times as a reader, trying to keep track of everything. The ending was also a bit open ended, but I was actually okay with it.
I received an ARC of this book from A Novel Take PR in exchange for an honest review.