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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Honestly I really enjoyed this book. The reason I am giving it 3 stars is because of the ending. I’m not giving away any spoilers but let me just say the ending is not my cup of tea.
dark
mysterious
Not the best, not the worst. While I don't regret this book, I also find that I feel indifferent towards it. Good read for when you want a darker story to explore.
This was a fabulously done novel about mental illness and self-identity. The writing style was hard to follow at first, moving back and forth from the POV of a child (from age 6 on) to her adult self. For the most part, I think the voice was probably authentic, because it's very difficult to follow the train of thought of a bipolar individual. So you really have to work to tease out the strands of plot and personality, but it's totally worth it.
So why only two stars? While a lot of the events that shape Smudge's life are plausible, I just found it hard to believe that so much truly horrible stuff could happen to one person. It was beyond unfair. And even if a mother could confuse her identical twin daughters, it seems life would be unfair for whichever daughter was named Ellie, while Helen would be fine - the disparate treatment was just too much for me. The worst of it would be a spoiler, so I can't even mention it. Also, in general I like what I call GWTW endings ("tomorrow is another day" and things might be hopeful but might be crap), but in this case it was very sudden and unsatisfactory in my reading. (Especially as I was reading an e-galley that said I had something like 20 pages left when actually I was on the last page so I was expecting more!) And then there was the general depressing feeling it left me with. So two stars. But I would still recommend this book pretty strongly because it was well-crafted, well-written, thought-provoking, and a realistic, non-sugar coated look at mental illness. Brilliant but not the right book at the right time for me.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
So why only two stars? While a lot of the events that shape Smudge's life are plausible, I just found it hard to believe that so much truly horrible stuff could happen to one person. It was beyond unfair. And even if a mother could confuse her identical twin daughters, it seems life would be unfair for whichever daughter was named Ellie, while Helen would be fine - the disparate treatment was just too much for me. The worst of it would be a spoiler, so I can't even mention it.
Spoiler
What kind of mother would not notice her children had switched places? Oh wait, she did notice. AND DID NOTHING ABOUT IT. So she basically exacerbated her daughter's mental illness. What kind of person does that?! And then Smudge is raped at 11 and wrongfully accused of trying to kill her sister at 15 and pushed into a secure psych unit (while her equally ill sister is free) and forced into prostitution and lives in squalor and finally starts a life and meets a man but then has a miscarriage... Just too much. I guess a lot of it makes sense in the life of a mentally ill person, but the rape and miscarriage in particular put it over the top for me. Anyway.Spoiler
It was also way too convenient for Hellie to die when she did. With a last second confession, no less. Unless that was in Smudge's head.The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
Interesting premise. Twisty, weird, improbable, but good.
I couldn't put it down. It was absolutely outstanding. Can't praise it enough.
I probably would have never picked up this book were it not for the author's "A year of reading the world" project, which I enjoyed following (though sadly have yet to emulate). While I don't usually read thrillers, the premise of this book intrigued me enough to download it on my Kindle.
It's been ages since I finished a book as quickly as I did this one. In fact, technically I read it in less than twenty-four hours, since I started it on the tube home from work one day then finished it in my lunch break the next. I also felt compelled to write a review of it, which I haven't done for a very long time, but I hope to continue doing.
If I had to pick one thing I loved about this book, it was the depiction of mania and mental illness in general – to the extent that I probably wouldn't recommend it if you're actively struggling with these issues. While I was reading I was completely immersed in the story and in tune with the main character. Chapters alternate between the past and present; childhood and adulthood; first, second and third person. I often find these devices to be confusing and gratuitous, but in this case they really worked well.
I also really enjoyed the characters – they felt like real people with nuanced personalities and complex motives. I was able to feel sympathy for even the more unpleasant characters. The twists in the story felt natural and not forced for the sake of constructing a narrative, which kept me immersed in the story.
The one thing I would have liked was a bit more scene setting about Helen and Ellie as children before they swapped places to help me understand how it wasn't immediately detected, and possibly confirm my suspicion that Ellie was never any 'slower' than Helen – she was just the victim of a self-fulfilling prophecy. This book raised all sorts of questions for me about nature versus nurture, how our personalities form as children and how reliant this process is on the adults around us.
If you're interested in a compelling psychological thriller, I would definitely recommend this book. Just maybe don't plan to do anything for the day or so after you start reading it...
It's been ages since I finished a book as quickly as I did this one. In fact, technically I read it in less than twenty-four hours, since I started it on the tube home from work one day then finished it in my lunch break the next. I also felt compelled to write a review of it, which I haven't done for a very long time, but I hope to continue doing.
If I had to pick one thing I loved about this book, it was the depiction of mania and mental illness in general – to the extent that I probably wouldn't recommend it if you're actively struggling with these issues. While I was reading I was completely immersed in the story and in tune with the main character. Chapters alternate between the past and present; childhood and adulthood; first, second and third person. I often find these devices to be confusing and gratuitous, but in this case they really worked well.
I also really enjoyed the characters – they felt like real people with nuanced personalities and complex motives. I was able to feel sympathy for even the more unpleasant characters. The twists in the story felt natural and not forced for the sake of constructing a narrative, which kept me immersed in the story.
The one thing I would have liked was a bit more scene setting about Helen and Ellie as children before they swapped places to help me understand how it wasn't immediately detected, and possibly confirm my suspicion that Ellie was never any 'slower' than Helen – she was just the victim of a self-fulfilling prophecy. This book raised all sorts of questions for me about nature versus nurture, how our personalities form as children and how reliant this process is on the adults around us.
If you're interested in a compelling psychological thriller, I would definitely recommend this book. Just maybe don't plan to do anything for the day or so after you start reading it...
I enjoyed this book (listened to audio book), but did find it hard to follow at times. I wish the shifts in time had been more clearly marked somehow. The story is fascinating, but I had a little trouble putting all the pieces in the right place. I also felt like it ended without answering a few of the major questions I had through the book. A good story--but pay attention so you know when everything is happening
I'm not sure if anyone in my book club finished this book. Many have commented they stopped in the first 100 pages. I didn't expect to like it. I'm not certain if I really did like it. It's a heartbreaking story of twins, of mental illness, an extremely dysfunctional family. There are glimmers of happiness and the last page made me hopeful.