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Hello fellow bookworms! Just finished this book and I LOVED EVERY SECOND. I read it in well under 24 hours. I am unsure how I feel about the ending, however, so I would like to hear some of your opinions! Do you think that V was in on the Crave the entire time or do you think that this was a delusion of Mikes? (Give me a follow on my book-related Instagram: sarah_and_her_shelf)
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Our Kind of Cruelty,
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Stephanie
I can't stop thinking about, and what ruined the book for me, is the authors acknowledgement page.
She says, "The first draft of this book was written in a mad spurt of anger at the continued injustices perpetuated against woman in our so-called civil society."
Once I read that, I sat that for a second and could only come to the conclusion that the whole book was written as some feminist piece about how Mike stalked Vanessa, wouldn't leave her alone when she moved on, sexually assaulted her, and then her sexual past was used against her on the stand.
If that was the kind of book she wanted to write she should not have picked this story line; it makes her look like a real asshole. If my above assumption is true, Mike has a mental disorder, so he is not a great sample of "the patriarchy" and Vanessa was supposed to be the strong female character? Even if she was supposed to be the-everyday-female wronged by the defective men that are a result of our poisoned patriarchal society the actual narrative, that actual narrative muddies that up in almost every single way. Ultimately, the authors goal and the product delivered do not correlate and none of it makes sense for someone wanting to go on a rant about the "continued injustices against woman in our so-called society"
Major fail.
She says, "The first draft of this book was written in a mad spurt of anger at the continued injustices perpetuated against woman in our so-called civil society."
Once I read that, I sat that for a second and could only come to the conclusion that the whole book was written as some feminist piece about how Mike stalked Vanessa, wouldn't leave her alone when she moved on, sexually assaulted her, and then her sexual past was used against her on the stand.
If that was the kind of book she wanted to write she should not have picked this story line; it makes her look like a real asshole. If my above assumption is true, Mike has a mental disorder, so he is not a great sample of "the patriarchy" and Vanessa was supposed to be the strong female character? Even if she was supposed to be the-everyday-female wronged by the defective men that are a result of our poisoned patriarchal society the actual narrative, that actual narrative muddies that up in almost every single way. Ultimately, the authors goal and the product delivered do not correlate and none of it makes sense for someone wanting to go on a rant about the "continued injustices against woman in our so-called society"
Major fail.
Jennifer
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Ciclochick
I think V was totally innocent and Mike was just mentally ill. I'm surprised that the company doctor wasn't grilled in court. I was very disappointed with the ending. The book had me spellbound but the ending was a sad-cake ending. Whether or not this was intentional to pave the way for a sequel remains to be seen, but for me it was unfinished business.
WhatJordynnReads
I don't know if V was in on the Crave - I go back and forth with my opinion. I think a lot of it was Mike's mental illness, but I did find it odd that she would wear the necklace in court and at one point touched it. You would think she would avoid the necklace at all costs as to not add fuel to the fire.
Ryan
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Linda C
I think she was manipulating Mike because she could. I don't know if she was part of the Crave, I'm inclined to say no, but she enjoyed pushing his buttons. She didn't intend for it to go as far as it did but she liked her power over him. I didnt like her at all.
MargieD2017
I found myself wondering about V's innocence in the end. Her expertise in Artificial Intelligence kept me wondering if her expertise didn't extend to human manipulation and experimentation. Only needed a malleable mind. Was Mike the perfect victim?
brenda kelly
Mike was most defiantly deluded😕
Sonia
There were several days when Mike would awake and see an empty bottle, or broken glass, or find himself in bed without remembering anything else. Author did not elaborate much more than that it happened. Mike was also an alcoholic, he had blackouts.
Ariana
This thought occurred to me somewhere along the third part of the book, but I think the answer is no. Now, I didn't read all of the acknowledgments at the end, but I think the first line indicates that this book was driven by the unfair treatment women get. Which is what happened to Verity, I guess.
moe
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Larry
I just read the book and mostly enjoyed it. I also "cheated" and read some interviews with the author and based on these I'd have to say that V wasn't in on it. It seems Adaminta Hall was specifically trying to make a statement about how society treats women unfairly when it comes to sexual behavior. She certainly has a point but I also think it would have been more interesting as a novel if V had been playing a more devious role.
Michele Coleman
I really felt Mike was delusional till V showed up wearing the eagle necklace in court. That brought up some doubt. I wish we knew her side of the story but I feel the author left us in the dark about V on purpose. I’m still on the line about V. She came out pretty well in the end but obviously Mike was obsessed! I’d like to get in Hall’s brain on this one.
Caitlin R
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Filmbuffchgo
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M
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Kermy
Despite the author's remarks in her afterword, I interpret the ending as V is done with Mike, but they were still craving to the end. V wearing the eagle in court, then including an eagle picture in her letter to him; there's a sense of playfulness there. Perhaps she indeed gets off on being craved, and with Mike permanently in prison, she is taunting him and playing with his desire.
Lynn Vander
what do you think she means by "you are not" on the postcard
Marianne K
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Christine
Complete delusion.
Sharon Dorsen - Schulz
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Jillian
I think she was definitely not in the crave, and Mike was really delusional. Though I wished the ending was more nuanced than that, I don't think it was.
Sylvia
I think it was the ultimate crave. While there is, no doubt, some delusion on Mike's part - I think they were both so obsessed that the "craves" kept escalating to satisfy an ever present need.
Carl
I believe the answer to this mysterious ending lies in unravelling what YOU ARE NOT means. Has anyone managed to figure this out?
I do believe that Verity was playing The Crave throughout and the author had the reader believe that Mike is mentally unstable.
I do believe that Verity was playing The Crave throughout and the author had the reader believe that Mike is mentally unstable.
Peaches
I read that Hall wrote early drafts of this book as a rage towards the patriarchy, which is pretty evident in the trial, leading me to think that she deliberately wanted this to be a commentary on gendered treatment within society. It would be a far more interesting book if V was still participating in the Crave, but Hall makes it clear in her Acknowledgements what type of book she was trying to write.
Deborah W
Definitely delusional . . . but I can't say that with 100% certainty - thus, the genius of this writer!
Susan
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