1.5 disco balls
Published: June 2, 2016 by Mulholland Books
The additional .5 disco ball was because I actually finished it
Yikes. Reading this was like going to the dentist: Painful. Just opening my kindle to keep reading was like pulling teeth. I questioned categorizing it as a DNF (do not finish) more than a few times, but since I got it from NetGalley I felt like I needed to try and finish: it took me a week. A week of reading I cannot get back.
What attracted me to the book was 1) the cover and 2) the obscure synopsis (as was listed on NetGalley):
“I suppose what I am saying is, how much do we collude in our own destruction? How much of this nightmare is on me? You can hate and rail. You can kick out in protest. You can do foolish and desperate things, but maybe sometimes you just have to hold up a hand and take the blame.” Breathless. Claustrophobic. Unsettling. Impossible to put down.”I recently visited NetGalley and noticed the synopsis was updated to provide more detail. After reading it (here), I don’t think I would have requested it. But, that can also be because I know the story already and we did not vibe.
Long story short: narcissist, egotistical, womanizer, Paul runs into a former acquaintance, Andrew, whom is the brother of a girl, Frannie, he used to bed. He is invited to dinner at Andrew’s where he meets a widower, Alice, and starts to date her; Andrew obviously not being a fan of this. Paul finds himself changing his womanizing ways for her, although his initial intentions were not too honorable.
Caution mild spoilers ranted below:
In the background are a million (I am exaggerating, but still…) other stories with annoying characters: what happened to Frannie, a possible affair, a teenager fooling around with someone she shouldn’t, a missing girl from a vacation 10 years back, a sullen and angsty teenager, a stepford wife, a girl assaulted while drunk with the assailant on the loose. Why am I sharing this? All these stories apparently are set up for a reason. I don’t want to give it away, that would not be nice. (That can imply that I would recommend reading this book, and I don’t.)
Before I even got the 25% mark I was super confused on where the story was going due to the obscure synopsis and odd character development. It actually didn’t pick up until the 60%+ mark and by then I knew exactly what was happening. It’s a little too obvious and when the ending finally came (hallelujah it was over)…I hated it. Predictable and open ended.
I feel horrible speaking so poorly of someone’s work, as I can imagine how much effort goes into writing a book. I should have given up on this at the 25% mark when I first wasn’t really feeling it. Some books just don’t work for everyone and we should have broken up a bit earlier. I am sorry I strung you along, it wasn’t you, it was me.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.
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