Helpful Score: 2
This was my least favorite book this year - thank goodness it was a short one. There were only about 75 or so pages in which I found myself a bit captivated by the story, but I did not care for the first half of the book, nor did I like the last quarter of the book.
Here are my reasons why: 1) every important character in this book was self-absorbed, self-loathing, and a "victim"; 2) the number of bodily fluids described in joyous detail during the first half of the book caused me to physically grimace as I read and their mention was unnecessary; 3) the characters were cliches; 4) the author did too much telling (instead of just showing) as if she didn't trust the reader to "get it" or understand without her injection of information; 5) the plot was preposterous and completely unbelievable; and 6) the protagonist was so overly dramatic and unlikeable and, given what she was going through, I don't think I was supposed to laugh out loud at her dilemmas.
Not many who read this book disliked the New York Times Bestseller as much as I did, but there were a few. One of those recommended Room by Emma Donoghue which I bought since finishing this book. The book that stood out for me as a worthy alternative was My Story by Elizabeth Smart. The abductor in Elizabeth's memoir is just as sick and creepy and the circumstances of her abduction are preposterous and unbelievable (but actually true); however, it is her grace following the abduction that truly separates Elizabeth Smart from the protagonist in this novel.
Here are my reasons why: 1) every important character in this book was self-absorbed, self-loathing, and a "victim"; 2) the number of bodily fluids described in joyous detail during the first half of the book caused me to physically grimace as I read and their mention was unnecessary; 3) the characters were cliches; 4) the author did too much telling (instead of just showing) as if she didn't trust the reader to "get it" or understand without her injection of information; 5) the plot was preposterous and completely unbelievable; and 6) the protagonist was so overly dramatic and unlikeable and, given what she was going through, I don't think I was supposed to laugh out loud at her dilemmas.
Not many who read this book disliked the New York Times Bestseller as much as I did, but there were a few. One of those recommended Room by Emma Donoghue which I bought since finishing this book. The book that stood out for me as a worthy alternative was My Story by Elizabeth Smart. The abductor in Elizabeth's memoir is just as sick and creepy and the circumstances of her abduction are preposterous and unbelievable (but actually true); however, it is her grace following the abduction that truly separates Elizabeth Smart from the protagonist in this novel.
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