Helpful Score: 1
Riley Sager has created the perfect creepy scenario in Survive the Night. It's an homage to the movies-- in particular Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (one of my favorites). A campus in fear of a serial killer, an incredibly risky mode of transportation, and a young woman who dons a red coat and begins a journey to her grandmother's house by getting in a car with someone who may be the Big Bad Wolf. When I put those last three things together, I have to admit that I smiled, and... in case you're wondering about campus ride boards, they did exist. That's how I got from Provo, Utah to Phoenix, Arizona (and back) one spring.
Charlie Jordan is a very unreliable narrator. She's been raised by her grandmother after the death of her parents in a car accident. She's overcome with grief over the murder of her best friend. She's on medication. When she becomes anxious, she starts playing what she calls "movies in her head," so dear reader, you're not always going to know if what she says is happening is really happening at all. One good thing about Survive the Night is that Charlie does come to a better awareness of herself throughout her experience. The question is, is she going to survive long enough to make use of her newfound knowledge?
I have a feeling that most of you are going to love this book. I know I almost did. But in the end, it fell a bit flat. Why? Because I started deducing too many of the twists before they happened, and that really takes the sparkle off a book like this. But even though Survive the Night did lose some of its shine for me, I still found a lot to appreciate. It's going to be interesting to see what Sager comes up with next.
Charlie Jordan is a very unreliable narrator. She's been raised by her grandmother after the death of her parents in a car accident. She's overcome with grief over the murder of her best friend. She's on medication. When she becomes anxious, she starts playing what she calls "movies in her head," so dear reader, you're not always going to know if what she says is happening is really happening at all. One good thing about Survive the Night is that Charlie does come to a better awareness of herself throughout her experience. The question is, is she going to survive long enough to make use of her newfound knowledge?
I have a feeling that most of you are going to love this book. I know I almost did. But in the end, it fell a bit flat. Why? Because I started deducing too many of the twists before they happened, and that really takes the sparkle off a book like this. But even though Survive the Night did lose some of its shine for me, I still found a lot to appreciate. It's going to be interesting to see what Sager comes up with next.
Helpful Score: 1
This was fun reading! An unreliable narrator who has been through a lot and doesn't completely trust herself. Still, she leads us to root for her. A kind of tribute to old Hollywood movies, particularly Hitchcock. Quite a few twists before it is done. I really enjoyed it.
