Reading Damascus Station atm. The author is ex CIA. Knows the trade and the gizmos and conveys all that well but holy shit the writing is bad. The characters are shallow, the dialogue is dry, the imagery is very cinematic and contrived. It’s just one event onto the other. I get that’s kinda the point of a thriller but is it too much to ask for the writing to have value and add to the enjoyment, rather than just being functional.
This is a bigger point but ultimately I want to read books that work first and foremost as written art. I want the writing to matter which is why I choose to read in bed rather than watching a spy flick or tv series. I know that can be harder to find when you start straying into genres more but hence the question.
by patiosquare