Was this good? Yes. Quite well written. A family drama that reads like a thriller. Vivid characters in dramatically heightened situations. Reminds me a bit of George Saunders, if Saunders were sadistic.
Would I recommend this to anybody? Well, nobody I know, because I don’t want them coming back to cuss me out. If the book were 400pp, sure. But not at 800pp. (Actually I don’t know how many pages it is since it’s an ebook. But it feels like 800pp)
I think a book like this makes a certain implied contract with the reader, and the ending breaks the contract. If you’ve read it, maybe you know what I’m getting at.
I now have zero interest in reading the author’s other book.
That’s not to say I hate it (it’s not A Little Life) or regret reading it. I’m just not going to recommend it to anyone and don’t particularly want to go through a similar experience again
by heybart