![]() ![]() It is not fast paced, but a slow burn of a psychological thriller. There is a sense of dread, of something terribly unsettling in the midst of events that at first seem completely ordinary. This is not so much a book about what happens, but more about the atmosphere and the crazy tension you have to endure to get to the end. Cleverly interspersed within this story are conversations by other unnamed narrators on the aftermath of the two main characters involved. As she ruminates over their relationship, you get this weird feeling that things just aren’t “right.” Things get really really weird during their visit to Jake’s family’s farmhouse, weirder than ever on the couple’s way back from the farmhouse, and by the ending it was so freakin’ weird that I had to reread the last 50 pages just to understand and appreciate the brilliance of the weirdness that had just been presented to me. I will say that it starts off innocuously as a story of a young couple’s road trip, with an unnamed female narrator who is “thinking of ending things” with her boyfriend of several months, Jake. To tell you detailed info about this story other than what you’ll find on the back cover or online is to give this book away, which is out of the question for this review. Now I’m not a genius here at 29chapters…but a book that keeps people talking about it after they read it whether it was good or bad is definitely a book to read, if for no other reason then to see what the damn fuss was all about. This book is a great conversation piece, there’s even a website with a forum where you’re free to debate with other readers on what you think it was about. Personally I loved its nebulous-ness, that there’s no right or wrong answers because it all depends on what your interpretation of the events were. It’s a very dark story and its ending is completely and superbly ambiguous. This is a hard book to review because it is not a book for everyone. Review for “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” by Iain Reid (2016) ![]() There’s an interesting story unfolding, and suddenly everything explodes and subsides within three pages. I didn’t want to finish this book but found myself so emotionally invested in the characters that I wanted to find out what happens, just to see how far down the rabbit hole they would go. I read this book in about 4 sittings, and honestly I believe that was way too many. Both of these people were so toxic by themselves, together the ol’ proverbial ‘train wreck’ metaphor didn’t do them enough justice. When Brooks first appears you immediately know he’s bad news: he’s a drug user, paranoid, controlling, and equally damaged, selfishly demanding all of Gannon’s heart and soul. She eventually meets Michael (called Brooks by his friends) and they immediately begin an obsessive, dangerous relationship. Other than her job at a local hardware shop, cutting herself with a razor is the only relief for her anguish. Five years ago, her parents adopted three boys from Guatemala whose chaotic behavior overwhelms her parents to the point where they have no energy left to give her. Amelia Gannon’s (called Gannon by her friends) home life is not a happy one. In a lot of ways, this novel does deliver on that promise. This book touts itself as “a Sid and Nancy-like romance full of passion, chaos, and dyed hair.” Review for “Bleed Like Me” by Christa Desir (2014) Perhaps I’m picky when it comes to thrillers, preferring a certain tried and true formula…or perhaps I’m a little leery at this point of suspense books with “Girls” in the title, I’m not sure. I liked Nic and I kinda liked the other characters, but I didn’t feel a pressing need to know what had happened or why. While I didn’t mind the unique way that the story was set, for some reason, I didn’t feel invested in the characters here. Once the scene is set, the story is told in reverse order, a Memento style narrative that starts from a 15 day period 10 years ago and progresses backward. Annalise, it turns out, has a connection to the events of 10 years ago and the mystery of Corinne deepens for Nic and the characters around her. Nic then finds herself caught up in the disappearance of another local girl, her neighbor, Annalise Carter. Ten years later, she returns to town to tie up loose ends and deal with her ailing father. Everyone was a suspect, including her then-boyfriend Tyler, but Nic takes a chance anyway and leaves Cooley Ridge behind. At 18, Nic’s best friend Corinne disappeared from their North Carolina hometown of Cooley Ridge. ‘All the Missing Girls’ is told from the perspective of Nic Farrell. It’s safe to say that I liked this book, but for some reason I wasn’t quite smitten with this story as I should have been. Review for “All the Missing Girls” by Megan Miranda (to be published on 6.28.16) ![]()
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