This was a fun one! One of those books you race through, and think about when you're not reading it. I think Korelitz sets herself up at a bit of a diThis was a fun one! One of those books you race through, and think about when you're not reading it. I think Korelitz sets herself up at a bit of a disadvantage by describing the book-within-a-book in quite such gushing praise, describing it as having the most incredible twist in the entire world, and utterly unlike any other book that's ever been written – this could have been tongue-in-cheek self-consciousness, except that every character agrees that it's incredible, and it's a massive hit, instant bestseller, Spielberg making the movie etc. There are extracts of this incredible novel, and sure, it's fun, but it's just a good-quality thriller.
It was quite easy to guess both the twist in the book (as in, who the culprit was) and also the twist in the book-within-a-book – it was so obvious that it grew frustrating to watch the protagonist bumble around not knowing what was happening.
But I don't mind if I guess the end of a book as long as the journey to get there is still enjoyable, and in this case it definitely was. Other reviewers have said that the beginning is slow, and it is compared to the rest, but I still enjoyed it – mostly because Korelitz is so scathingly accurate about the life of a midlist writer, and that stuff is catnip for me. If you've been looking for a fun, smart, absorbing thriller, this is certainly worth a read....more
I thought I knew exactly where this was going: shy, suggestible girl meets rich, charismatic man; he convinces her to quarantine with him; he graduallI thought I knew exactly where this was going: shy, suggestible girl meets rich, charismatic man; he convinces her to quarantine with him; he gradually controls her; in the end she either breaks free or kills him. Like if 50 Shades of Grey was a thriller.
But that's not what this is at all! I won't spoil anything, but no one is quite what they appear to be. The breadcrumb-trail of plot was really well laid, so that the twists came as a surprise but also felt earned. I haven't read this author before, but I'll read her again. This was just really good fun. ...more
Utterly addictive – read it all in a oner, barely moving from my chair. I love the way it starts out seeming like a cute space romance, and then becomUtterly addictive – read it all in a oner, barely moving from my chair. I love the way it starts out seeming like a cute space romance, and then becomes something much darker. It didn't go QUITE as dark as I hoped it would (no spoilers but I thought it was going to go full Yellow Wallpaper), but I still really enjoyed it. ...more
Well, this was fun. I raced through it in a day, and it turns out I'm really into architectural thrillers. Is that a genre? It should be. This book isWell, this was fun. I raced through it in a day, and it turns out I'm really into architectural thrillers. Is that a genre? It should be. This book is like 50 Shades of Grey (but with Christian as the controlling creep he would be in reality), mixed with a domestic thriller and a dash of haunted house. ...more
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