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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
3.5 stars - would have liked to see more character development besides Sam, who's fairly repulsive.
Loo lives with her father (Samuel Hawley), a thief with a checkered history. He carries guns and is always watching behind his back. He and Loo move often, quickly, and quietly. Her mother died when Loo was a baby. When Loo is in middle school, she and her dad settle in her mother’s home town. Throughout Samuel’s life, he’s been shot a lot. And every single time, it’s his own darn fault. He loves his daughter but not himself. Loo is a survivor but she doesn’t always make good decisions and she’s a bit violent…but she’s got a lot of pent up emotional junk and in need of a good therapist. As a matter of fact, so does Samuel.
Like a really good movie: exciting,captivating and moving from the first to the last page.
An entertaining reading pleasure.
An entertaining reading pleasure.
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked the writing style and the way scene details were written, but the book could hardly be described a mystery or thriller, it was more contemporary with some violence. The characters were interesting but I didn’t connect super closely with any of them, and I was expecting a more exciting plot. Not a bad book, just not one that I think will stick with me a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was really good. The writing was wonderful, especially the metaphors. It’s about two people finding themselves - the daughter and the father. It’s a beautiful story about relationships and development and the ending was really good. I’m not sure how else to describe it except sweeping and rich.
I listened to this one and it's the kind of book that I think I would have liked better if I had read it myself. I might have given it 3 stars.
This novel reads like a movie. Early in the book, this is because of the vivid descriptions - both of characters and of place. Later in the book, it is because it takes on the increased and adrenaline-laced pace of an action-packed thriller. The last chapters rely on readers suspending disbelief in ways that likely work in film, but (for me) didn't here.
There are some beautiful and insightful descriptions here. Early on, describing Loo being teased mercilessly: ". . . feeling the cause must be some personal defect, some missing part of herself that the others recognized, a rotting, empty hole that whistled when she walked, no matter how quiet she tried to be." But other times, such as when explicitly stating the theme of the novel and explaining how it is reflected in many characters, Tinti doesn't seem to trust readers to pay attention, to get it, to think.
I can't quite reconcile the title of the novel with the novel itself. Presumably, the title is a nod at the expression of cats having nine lives and the twelve bullets Samuel has taken are his twelve lives. This doesn't quite slide into focus as while some of the shots are extremely serious and threaten Samuel's life, others are relatively minor injuries and shouldn't really count as a life. A minor, but lingering, distraction from the book itself.
There are some beautiful and insightful descriptions here. Early on, describing Loo being teased mercilessly: ". . . feeling the cause must be some personal defect, some missing part of herself that the others recognized, a rotting, empty hole that whistled when she walked, no matter how quiet she tried to be." But other times, such as when explicitly stating the theme of the novel and explaining how it is reflected in many characters, Tinti doesn't seem to trust readers to pay attention, to get it, to think.
I can't quite reconcile the title of the novel with the novel itself. Presumably, the title is a nod at the expression of cats having nine lives and the twelve bullets Samuel has taken are his twelve lives. This doesn't quite slide into focus as while some of the shots are extremely serious and threaten Samuel's life, others are relatively minor injuries and shouldn't really count as a life. A minor, but lingering, distraction from the book itself.
Great story of Father/Daughter relationship with protective, criminal, and grief background. Enjoy the back and forth of past to present with a main character who is dangerous and a little scary but I was constantly rooting for him. His daughter's coming-of-age drama pulled at me heart strings. Had a hard time putting the book down once I started.