First off, I received this book in the mail one morning last week and flew through it in a few hours! This book was so unique! I have never read a bFirst off, I received this book in the mail one morning last week and flew through it in a few hours! This book was so unique! I have never read a book within a book before. The true-crime memoir written within felt SO real (and really reminded me of I’ll Be Gone In The Dark). I love true-crime so this really intrigued me and I left the book almost feeling as though Jim Doyle was a real person and these were real crimes. However, I actually found myself enjoying Jim’s chapters more. They were more fast-paced and his narration is so intense and creepy. Overall, I did predict the ending, but I read A LOT of thrillers so I think that lots of people could really enjoy the final twist! The Nothing Man is the perfect mix of a fast-paced thriller with a twisted main character and a true-crime memoir which leaves you feeling for the victims and craving justice. As I said before it’s hard to not find yourself so wrapped up in the story that you start to believe it’s real! Moreover, I also appreciated the message - that although people do have fascinations with serial killers, the focus should be on the victims, rather than the over sensationalised killers. I just loved it and can’t wait to read Catherine‘s next book...more
Grace's wheelchair has fallen on its side. Her little toy rabbit and the heart-shaped cushion she sits on have skidded across the floor, towards the k
Grace's wheelchair has fallen on its side. Her little toy rabbit and the heart-shaped cushion she sits on have skidded across the floor, towards the kitchen. The sight jolts me into action, and I rush around the sofa, imagining Grace's tiny body bruised and broken, her glasses smashed
I am so sad to be writing this review. I was so excited for this one.
I might be the unpopular opinion here, but I am SO OVER books which are so heavily based on real cases. Yes, they're complex and interesting true-crime cases but I just feel like it is wrong to write a book that is SO true to life and SO clearly based on an actual tragedy. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth and this is becoming a common theme this year. Especially with this particular true-crime case. ((view spoiler)[The Gypsy-Rose Blanchard case. (hide spoiler)])
The only thing that I did respect was that this author/publishing team/book did explicitly state that this book was based on a true story. I just wish it was inspired and not almost the exact same. Even down to the cast of characters (most of which were true to life). Essentially, if you know anything about this case then this book is almost entirely unoriginal, and will probably really irritate you. Again, I understand that a lot of books (especially mystery/thrillers) are inspired by real-life people/cases etc. but at least they're usually lightly inspired, and you can go into them not knowing what will happen. With this one, if you know the case, you know the twists.
I just want this 'trend' of essentially copying and profiting off of real-life tragedies to be over. ...more
“Your back starts to hurt, and your feet, and a doctor says to you, direly, that you need to lose weight. You bawl your eyes out and miss the punch line entirely: the weight you need to lose is 105 pounds and blonde and sitting in the waiting room with an annoyed expression on her face”
Carmen Maria Machado is a master at crafting such harrowing, yet thought-provoking prose. ‘In The Dream House’ is written in a unique and experimental style - which leaves this memoir feeling very un-memoir-like. The writing is somewhat disjointed and non-linear, a mix of vignettes, personal reflections, pop-culture references and essayist debate. The writing was wholly weird and wonderful.
I urge you to read this memoir if you are interested in the topics it covers. It discusses truly bold personal experiences, along with references to pop-culture and research. Told through unique and powerful writing, this is not one to miss. It was fantastic!
However, I would like to repeat Machado’s statement from her afterword:
"In The Dream House is by no means meant to be a comprehensive account of contemporary research about same-sex domestic abuse or its history”.
CW: Abuse
Thank you to Serpent’s Tail and Netgalley for an advance copy of this one to review. ...more
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