Wow. This book was definitely quite something — crude and raw and deceptively straightforward, and above all memorably disconcerting. I wouldn't say that the characters were (deliberately) fleshed-out/"round," but they were all incredibly vivid and intriguing. The narrator in particular, of course: while the average reader probably won't have the same background of having joined a cult, s/he will be able to relate to Evie's struggles in finding a place where she felt like she belonged and longing for someone whose affections fluctuate capriciously.

Personally I would've been happy with just the flashback sections, which read like a memoir (in an enjoyable way), but the present-day scenes do help frame the main narrative and put Evie's observations/commentary into the context of hindsight; I thought it was really effective storytelling, though there were some passages that I found to be a bit much (too philosophical or too crude or both) or awkwardly phrased.

Like 3.5 stars? I liked it pretty well, but it wasn't really spectacular.

Particularly in the beginning, Cate sounded a little too self-aware: telling instead of showing how she and others were feeling. Not sure if it got better later on or if I just stopped noticing as the plot got more complex. In any case, it was a little off-putting but definitely not the worst I've seen.

I had a feeling Alex was the attempted-murderer; both his motives were explicitly stated in the beginning, and it's not exactly a groundbreaking plot progression. Didn't see the killing and framing Vaughan and Cate part coming, though, and it made for a pretty exciting climax.

The ending scene movie date ("Watching you" scare) was a nice touch, the trauma and fear that doesn't go away even after the bad guy's caught and you should be safe but don't feel that way.

Holy shit. I went into this book expecting kind of a perverse adult version of Every Soul A Star, but it was even more fucked up than I had anticipated. Each and every member of the main cast is utterly flawed, some more/less so than they initially seem, and as character-driven narratives go this one's intense and rich.

My two main issues with this book are awkward pacing and reliance on shock value, and it's a big enough problem that I'm not convinced it deserves the full 4 stars. (Leaving it for now, though, because it's a pretty well-told story and I did enjoy it as a whole.) The opening seemed to stretch out the suspense a little too long, and the emding seemed frenetic; I think it could've done without the disappointing final plot twist that

Spoiler

made me lose a lot of sympathy for ruthless Laura

and seemed contrived entirely for shock value, a missed opportunity in terms of ethical and psychological potential. The POVs were definitely purposefully planned and well-played; this setup validates the lack of clues throughout the narration.

Idk, I might be having book burnout from reading so many in a row? But I took a break in the middle of this one to binge-watch MacGyver, which didn't actually help because it made me realize just how Not Invested I was in these characters and their missions. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it was a bit of a struggle to get through to the end — I definitely won't be continuing with this series.

Not every "evil" character has to have regrets/be secretly at least part good; that stretched disbelief as much as anything. But I will say that Helene's journey was interesting from a literary standpoint, not where I expected her to end up based on the precedents being set throughout the book, but reasonable given the circumstances.

(EDIT: A large part of why I even picked this one up was because I remembered really liking the first one; a second look at my Goodreads shelf suggests that I actually got it mixed up with Rebel of the Sands. So disappointment probably plays a role here.)

Definitely really different from the kinds of books I usually read, in large part because of the setting that I would consider the backbone of the story. It's not a happy story in any sense; that, as well as the ending, are to be expected from the title and summary - the inescapable inevitability and simultaneous sanctity of Death and other unstoppable forces. The reader is put in a similar position to the characters', because ultimately

Spoiler

the characters are just as powerless to stop events from unfolding as the do, as the reader is

.

Of all the time/space travel stories I read this year (this is another long-after-the-fact review, so I've since read a couple more), this one certainly stands out. An imaginative plot that kept me guessing, fascinating world-building, vivid characters - yeah, I really enjoyed this one.

3.5 stars.

Neither Rachel and Liam's world (both the one they left and the one they returned to) not Jane's seemed fully developed so much as lists of relevant details dropped here and there throughout, and I was not super into all the romantic drama which the book even ends on. Of course I loved meeting Jane Austen and her family, and there were hints of interesting ideas regarding time travel/paradox, probability fields, butterfly effect, etc., but I didn't really like or relate to Rachel and her dismissive attitude towards love vs lust that so suddenly flipped, and I also didn't like that Sabina was presented solely as an almost flimsy obstacle to their great love: the archetypical "other woman."

Maybe 4 stars? I have really mixed feelings about this book.

I can certainly see why we were assigned to read this book as a precursor to academic discussions on tolerance, diversity, inclusion, etc.; and in terms of both themes and prose it's not at all like any book I've read. (This is probably going to be a pretty lengthy review since we'll be graded on participation in the aforementioned discussions, so I want to thoroughly note my initial reactions for future reference.)

So first, the prose: if you read each chapter as a transcript of the POV character's police statement/reaction to the murder, it works pretty well. There are tangents and clear bias and colloquialisms that differ with their varying cultural backgrounds, and while it's not exactly technically precise (lots of comma splices) it flows as good conversation should. There's also a lot of "I'm not a racist, but" sentiments that turn most of the characters into caricatures — fitting in a satire, but a little disappointing to a reader like myself who likes character-driven narratives. Lots of misinformation and, yes, everyday racism contribute to the conflict.

The murder mystery aspect is, in my honest opinion, totally minor; the story reads as more "slice of life" with the plot as a backdrop rather than a driving force. Only in hindsight does it strike me that we're supposed to see all the inhabitants of Piazza Vittorio as suspects; I was a little caught up in their very loud opinions of each other (particularly Amedeo) and of immigrants in general.

Spoiler

Plus, it's ultimately resolved very quickly; there wasn't much to indicate that she was the culprit but the motive, compared against all that dogs-are-superior-to-immigrants fanaticism, is certainly established.

I'm going to try not to focus so much on the characters' personality so much as beliefs, because I have a feeling that's what's important here. So, what I found psychologically (?) fascinating is how you can only really figure out the truth of the situation by comparing multiple accounts, each of them biased in different ways but offering contrasting views that reveal different parts of the puzzle. The internalized prejudices are quite interesting considering so many of these characters are themselves immigrants; on top of that, the north/south "feud" within Italy just makes matters even more complicated. Since their cultures were such important aspects of who they were (you could even call it the defining factor), I personally couldn't relate to any of them, even Amedeo and his fairly openminded propensity for getting along with all his neighbors: a kind smile amidst all the hatred and judgment.

Somewhere around 50-60% of the way through, this book crossed solidly into tolerable as Eliza took back agency and the plot started picking up; I did appreciate the ironic twist that came up but thought the resolution came too neatly, and the epilogue was ridiculously clichéd.

Before that shift, I wasn't sure I could be bothered to finish — honestly, I felt like recounting the first meeting in so much detail then just summarizing the next ten+ years in a few paragraphs didn't work for me pacing-wise — but I suppose it's fine if you're into the whole heteronormative traditional nuclear family drama.

I know exactly why I couldn't get through this book the first time I tried; nothing's really changed except it's summer and I had the time to indulge my curiousity as to whether it would get better. (It doesn't.)

Every single one of the POV characters seemed to have the exact same personality and beliefs, though I'll grant limited credit for casual diversity (one biracial, one gay, one probably bisexual main; still pretty heteronormative, though, and no major ethnic representation). None of them seemed to change much over the course of the book, except for becoming more self-righteous and gaining the usual life experience in tragedies: divorce, death, and general drama. Clichés everywhere — this would make a perfect mainstream high school movie, including everyone having sex and drinking as early as sophomore year — and wholly predictable "twists." Overall,
it dragged and I'm relieved to be done with it.