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I was looking forward to reading this after seeing so many positive reviews online. The story began quite well, with a murder and a clearly interesting family set up. Told in alternating chapters from different character's POV it didn't blow me away. In the end I was pretty disappointed and wouldn't rush out to read any more of her books.
The author has written (purposefully) some really horrid characters, but I actually found her interpretation of class quite uncomfortable. The story is simple and I didn't think it was executed or written as well as it could have been, particularly [spoilers] the way Laurence was set up in the end by his mother. I did not enjoy the depiction of mental illness either and think the entire book was littered with bad stereotypes. I just wasn't sure if she meant to do that or not - the characters were pretty awful! I thought about only giving it one star, but realised there probably is a market of readers this appeals to, but that doesn't include me!
The author has written (purposefully) some really horrid characters, but I actually found her interpretation of class quite uncomfortable. The story is simple and I didn't think it was executed or written as well as it could have been, particularly [spoilers] the way Laurence was set up in the end by his mother. I did not enjoy the depiction of mental illness either and think the entire book was littered with bad stereotypes. I just wasn't sure if she meant to do that or not - the characters were pretty awful! I thought about only giving it one star, but realised there probably is a market of readers this appeals to, but that doesn't include me!
I had high hopes for this book after being recommended it by a friend, however have settled on a 3-star review, with the hope Loki can improve on his writing in the future.
The book is a mix between anger, class observation, pretention and oddly, conservatism toward the end. There are some absolutely fantastic chapters and astute observations, however there were some sections I really struggled, however even with a tough subject matter and content I also found the book to be easy to read.
What I had hoped for was a different approach to exploring poverty. After growing up in a working class family, where my Mum pulled us through our childhood but now would fall in to Loki's definition of working class I found some of his vitriol towards the middle class extreme, and almost misplaced. His movement towards recognising his own faults and insistence we take responsibility for our actions also left me cold - I would have preferred to see a discussion on reducing inequality. Successive governments have focused on poverty with no success in reducing our inequalities, and Loki disappointingly continued in that vein, otherwise it works have probably be 4-stars!
The book is a mix between anger, class observation, pretention and oddly, conservatism toward the end. There are some absolutely fantastic chapters and astute observations, however there were some sections I really struggled, however even with a tough subject matter and content I also found the book to be easy to read.
What I had hoped for was a different approach to exploring poverty. After growing up in a working class family, where my Mum pulled us through our childhood but now would fall in to Loki's definition of working class I found some of his vitriol towards the middle class extreme, and almost misplaced. His movement towards recognising his own faults and insistence we take responsibility for our actions also left me cold - I would have preferred to see a discussion on reducing inequality. Successive governments have focused on poverty with no success in reducing our inequalities, and Loki disappointingly continued in that vein, otherwise it works have probably be 4-stars!
