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A review by valealle23
The Pessimists by Bethany Ball
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
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that’s how i feel after reading this book. i came into it thinking that the characters would be despicable, a real look into the dark side of suburbia, but honestly they’re not like that at all. yes, they have their faults, the illnesses that society has deemed acceptable, but they’re as morally grey as the next person, and so i don’t think they’re truly as unlikeable as some people made them seem. however it just makes me even more sure in my conviction that i DO NOT want to live in suburbia. this book barely had a plot - it does, and it’s easy and quick to read, but there’s a sense of lifelessness and withdrawal that permeates the scenes that i feel like isn’t a fault of the author but of the setting. i really enjoyed the inclusion of the petra school; i think it really adds to the hypocrisy of the upper middle class, but i do think that it could’ve been developed better and that there could’ve been a more definite ending in regards to the school. such is life, though - there aren’t any endings and it all goes on, even the nazi-worshipping, ineffective schools continue to run.
was this a bad book? no, not at all. it sucks you in to its world of characters that you can just about relate to. i think it could’ve been developed better, but i mostly enjoyed it and the ending so i’m not complaining
that’s how i feel after reading this book. i came into it thinking that the characters would be despicable, a real look into the dark side of suburbia, but honestly they’re not like that at all. yes, they have their faults, the illnesses that society has deemed acceptable, but they’re as morally grey as the next person, and so i don’t think they’re truly as unlikeable as some people made them seem. however it just makes me even more sure in my conviction that i DO NOT want to live in suburbia. this book barely had a plot - it does, and it’s easy and quick to read, but there’s a sense of lifelessness and withdrawal that permeates the scenes that i feel like isn’t a fault of the author but of the setting. i really enjoyed the inclusion of the petra school; i think it really adds to the hypocrisy of the upper middle class, but i do think that it could’ve been developed better and that there could’ve been a more definite ending in regards to the school. such is life, though - there aren’t any endings and it all goes on, even the nazi-worshipping, ineffective schools continue to run.
was this a bad book? no, not at all. it sucks you in to its world of characters that you can just about relate to. i think it could’ve been developed better, but i mostly enjoyed it and the ending so i’m not complaining