A review by gus_reads
Hokey Pokey by Kate Mascarenhas

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0 

I honestly don't know how to talk about this book without spoiling anything, but let me say: what a ride. I was pleasantly surprised... and disturbed.

Before starting it, I expected a typical closed-space murder mistery with a slightly creepy touch. Then, when I started reading it, I thought it would probably end up being a novel like "The seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" (which I really liked). And indeed it was similar to Evelyn Hardcastle, but way more disturbing (in the best of ways) and less complicated. Reading Evelyn Hardcastle and keeping up with all the characters and changes. In this book, however, there's a good balance between mistery, details and action.

When I had read only like 50 pages I felt like I had already read like 200. The book is fast paced, with just the right amount of descriptions and details. You won't like the main character as a person: from moment one you will suspect her intentions, doubt her point of view and question her morals. That's what makes her so interesting as a character and a narrator. The psychology of all the main characters is very well developed, but in Nora's case that's specially true because the whole book's purpose is to make the reader know her. In the end, you want her to success, whatever she chooses to do, because you understand her.

The plot is intriguing, and makes you want to keep reading from the first chapter because you need to know what's going on. The author makes you feel that there's something off, something hidden, something you are missing. To me, that's the most important quality in a thriller(ish?) book: the ability to keep you intrigued and interested. And this book definitely does that. But it also adds a touch of horror, or maybe gothic fantasy? I don't know why genre to classify this in.

I really liked it. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you liked "The seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" or "The Shining" movie (I have not read the book, shame on me) you will probably enjoy this one. PLUS, it's quite short (<300 pages), so even if you don't like it as much as I did, it will be an entertaining short read.

Finally, when you read the author's note, you can see how thorough the documentation process for the novel was. I specially liked the insight on female psychoanalysts.

I will definitely check other books by this author. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the eARC!

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