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Getting a head start on my 2024 goal to read mostly books that I have been meaning to read for years. (Because the future is an illusion and mortality could strike at any second. Yes, I am fine, HOW ARE YOU??)
I like Krysten Ritter mostly because if I love Don't Trust the B-- in Apt. 23 in an "if I were Jeff Bezos rich I would first pay off a bunch of strangers' medical bills and then fund a new season of this show" sort of way, so when I discovered that she had written a book back when it was released, I was intrigued but apprehensive for reasons that are probably rather cynical and condescending. Who am I to doubt that an actress also has writing skills?
And well, she's got writing skills. Past me was being dumb, as she is wont to do!
Bonfire is a tantalizingly slow-burn suspense novel about a woman returning to her hometown to ferret out its dark secrets and finding more of them. It reminded me pleasantly of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, and the high-school scandal aspects brought Megan Abbott to mind, but Bonfire doesn't read like a ripoff of anything. It reads like a movie or TV drama that I would want to watch. The beats build upon each other nicely, almost every chapter contains a reveal that thickens the plot without giving you whiplash, and there's a satisfying payoff for every single detail in the book. It's not over-the-top dark, but it is disturbing in ways that I didn't expect. If you want a spoilery CW, click here:
Glad I finally read this!
I like Krysten Ritter mostly because if I love Don't Trust the B-- in Apt. 23 in an "if I were Jeff Bezos rich I would first pay off a bunch of strangers' medical bills and then fund a new season of this show" sort of way, so when I discovered that she had written a book back when it was released, I was intrigued but apprehensive for reasons that are probably rather cynical and condescending. Who am I to doubt that an actress also has writing skills?
And well, she's got writing skills. Past me was being dumb, as she is wont to do!
Bonfire is a tantalizingly slow-burn suspense novel about a woman returning to her hometown to ferret out its dark secrets and finding more of them. It reminded me pleasantly of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, and the high-school scandal aspects brought Megan Abbott to mind, but Bonfire doesn't read like a ripoff of anything. It reads like a movie or TV drama that I would want to watch. The beats build upon each other nicely, almost every chapter contains a reveal that thickens the plot without giving you whiplash, and there's a satisfying payoff for every single detail in the book. It's not over-the-top dark, but it is disturbing in ways that I didn't expect. If you want a spoilery CW, click here:
Spoiler
sexual exploitation of teenage girls, both through photos and, it's strongly implied, coerced sexual activityGlad I finally read this!