shelfdiscovery t1_jadiurp wrote on February 28, 2023 at 5:38 PM

I recently read this in a book club, and most of us had similar mixed thoughts (most of us rated it 3-4 stars with some critiques, while a few loved it and rated it 5 stars). Personally, I was fascinated by the writing and really enjoyed the overall vibe, but also found the characters mostly unlikeable (except for Marx!). But...I almost felt like that was the point of it? At the very least, I think we are all supposed to hate Dov. Sam and Sadie were just likable enough for me to stay interested, but I was frustrated with both of them throughout most of the book. The most compelling themes to me were the unique narration with some interesting foreshadowing + the way in which games were woven throughout the story.

Potato_Lyn OP t1_jadlejo wrote on February 28, 2023 at 5:54 PM

Yeah, that's true honestly-- if the vast majority of characters were super likable that in itself would have been highly unrealistic, and I am glad that most characters I found kind of unlikable were so in a believeable, real sort of way. The narration was great, I think especially so since I listened to the audiobook as the female narrator for most of it surprised me by switching to a male narrator once the story is being told through Marx's POV and it really added another layer to the storytelling IMO.