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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dark and unpleasant,
This review is from: Monster Love (Hardcover)
I admired this book and the way that it is written, but I also disliked it intensely because the subject matter is so unpleasant. I read it because friends had liked it and I can see why they did, but at the same time I am sorry that I read it because I feel like it's the kind of book that will haunt me.
I found it difficult to find reviews that explain what the book is about, but it emerges very early in the novel so I don't feel it is a spoiler to say that it's about a young married couple who have an intensely close bond, who find themselves pregnant despite all their plans to avoid having children, and who then abuse, neglect and eventually kill their little girl. I just hated to read parts of the book, didn't want to know these people and felt quite unsatisfied with their inability to process any understanding of what they had done. Every chapter of the book has a different narrator. Some parts of the story are told by Brendan and Sherilyn (the central couple) while others are written by people who had something to do with them: their family, case officer, neighbours, co-workers etc. Most contribute just their one chapter although the lead characters have more than one. It's an effective technique (although sometimes I wanted to stay with some of the narrators or visit them again) and Topolski brings each different voice to life very well. In an author's note at the end of the book, Topolski explains how she actually started the novel writing a chapter in the voice of the little girl, locked up and confused and I am very grateful that this was omitted. The book is more about the central relationship between Brendan and Sherilyn which is intriguing - they share some psychic connection but also withhold secrets from one another. Ultimately however I think Topolski fails to make that relationship credible. Why 3 stars? It's a clever book and well written, but it's just such horrible material that I can't recommend it. Having said that, if you are the kind of reader who is drawn to dark novels about very unpleasant crimes and you like spending time inside the heads of monsters, then this is a well written and clever novel (not a thriller, nor a mystery) that you will probably enjoy.
4.0 out of 5 stars
I really liked it,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Monster Love (Kindle Edition)
I started reading the book without remembering the story line so I stopped and read the reviews here to see what is was about. I thought OMG - I'm not going to like it but - Wrong - it had me hooked.
It was cleverly written as I had to guess where each person fitted into the jigsaw of the Brendilyn story. The characters were richly developed within their chapter. Well done to the author as the writing didn't slide into gory details describing the crime but told of it via the characters reactions to it.
4.0 out of 5 stars
I liked it!,
By
This review is from: Monster Love (Hardcover)
Probably not for everyone, but it saved my sanity while I was on my honeymoon in Saudi Arabia and not able to go out when my only abaya was at the laundry! There weren't many English books available in Saudi Arabia, so I was tickled to find this dark gem at the local bookstore. It's bleak, but I found it believable. And the format was so engaging. If you're interested in a book that's not only interesting, but structured in a clever way, and you don't mind dark, give it a try. I think the author did a great job at creating a believable reason for the heinous crimes that happen everyday in the real world.
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