Hmm. I almost don't want to talk about why I didn't quite like this novel, because it might cause the same problem to others who have never read it. But at the same time, if someone is in the same boat I was...Okay, so. Somehow, going into this novel, all I really knew about it was that it was a dystopian novel with an underlying secret akin to that of The Unit, which I loved. So I was expecting The Unit. This was a problem.
There is that plot component, yes, but it is barely hinted at throughout the book until all of that tension culminates in an interesting but very exposition-y confrontation.
What the book is actually about is friendships and other relationships — how they can get ridiculous and necessary when they last a long time, how it is difficult to break into new circles, how friends become much nicer after the passage of many years apart. The main setting is a boarding school, which of course intensifies these relationships, and even more so in light of the twist dystopia.
But unfortunately for me, I thought the twist would be untwisted far earlier, and spent too much time waiting for that. And then when I finally gave up on that and started reading the story for what it was, that's when the twist came in, all "surprising" and whatnot and it was a little too much.
I think this is a book I'll have to read again in the future to better appreciate it.
Recommendation: For people who understand (or want to better understand) the intricacies of friendships, and don't mind a little dystopia along with it.
Rating: 7/10
(A to Z Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge)
See also:
Library Queue
Park Benches & Bookends
At Home With Books
things mean a lot
Pass me yours, if you've got 'em.
4 comments:
I think I told you how I admittedly have some manner of weird girlcrush on Carey Mulligan, which makes the movie perhaps more heartbreaking than others have found it... but the movie is really beautifully done, and you should still watch it when you get a chance. [I'm reading the book now, so we're in reverse.]
(deleted the first post due to weird typos)
I agree. It's one I wouldn't mind re-reading and thinking about a little more too. Thanks for the linky! :)
Ah, that too bad you didn't enjoy it. I read it knowing nothing and was quite enthralled. It was one of my favorite reads of that year.
I hate when a book disappoints me based on my expectations or my mood. Poor book.
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