43 reviews for:

The Son of Man

Jean-Baptiste Del Amo

3.98 AVERAGE

og_rincewind's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jimincarnate's review against another edition

3.5

dark tense 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

clapton_pond's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

dannykane's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lauradvb's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sfoxofs's review against another edition

3.75

dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sciencing_ellie's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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A novel about intergenerational trauma and toxic masculinity, written in beautiful prose (English translation), and well paced as a slow burn with a lot of intrigue to keep those pages turning. I cared about the protagonist, a young boy, from the outset and enjoyed seeing the parents' flaws through his eyes. The characters are characterised in a very believable way through little scenes that are ofter cryptic to the protagonist but meaningful to the reader. 
Towards the end it becomes quite dark and disturbing, and I enjoyed many of the details of earlier plot lines coming together in the ending making it feel like a well rounded story.

Thank you to Fitzcarraldo and Netgalley for the ARC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol

ageorgallis's review against another edition

4.0

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This was a slow-burn suspense novel. The writing style is a bit dense, so it was a little hard to understand at first but once I got used to it, I was drawn in quickly to the story. I liked that the timeline navigates between present-day, at Les Roches, and the day the father returns into the family’s lives. I hated the father, but appreciated how he was made complex by his own issues with his father. I absolutely loved the ending and the scenes leading up to it - I was holding my breath. This book had stunning prose, suspenseful build, and deep explorations of family. 

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC.

cafeautai's review against another edition

4.0

dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

icedragoon's review against another edition

2.5

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced