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A review by cgreens
The Never List by Koethi Zan
3.0
This book both surprised and disappointed me. On the surprising front, it was actually a lot more disturbing and scary than I expected. The scene in the barn, for example, was unexpected and terrifying.
In some ways I almost feel like this is two different stories, or a book written by two different people. Maybe it's a case of a talented author being pigeon holed into writing something popular and shocking instead of more literary. Some parts seemed incredibly gripping and well-written, especially Sarah's escape scene for me. Other scenes were also particularly vivid, such as when Sarah first wakes up in the backseat and starts noticing things.
On the other hand, many aspects are soooo cheesy and out of a Hollywood nonsense blockbuster with too big of a budget. There is almost no characterization of anyone besides the protagonist, and maybe Jennifer, perhaps the what's-his-name sociopath if the author actually described any of Sarah's interactions with him. Traci, Christine, and (good God!) Adele(!) were such horrible, weird caricatures. There's also a helicopter rescue scene. And actual huge plot elements being justified with, "I know it's crazy, scary, stupid, and dangerous, but I just HAVE to do it!!" I guess this could be commentary about Sarah's anxieties, but it also came off as an unbelievable justification.
Maybe I just really like boring books, but I feel like this author could have pulled off an introspective novel about Sarah thinking back on everything that had happened to her, maybe seeking out the other two women and trying to make amends and getting ready for the parole hearing. I got the sense that the author really didn't want to research the legal elements because there were only vague mutterings about a disastrous trial and impending parole hearing that the reader never gets to.
I actually feel like all the action deterred from the storytelling because it got so far fetched and action packed. What the women actually unearthed as going on isn't far fetched, but all the characterization, sleuth work, and random happenstance certainly was.
The other incongruity is that amid all this action thriller nonsense, and maybe all action thrillers are like this and I just don't read that many of them to be used to it, is that the story suggestions are just so DARK and AWFUL. I really got the sense that none of these women would be safe, EVER, because they might be overpowered and trapped by someone just plain stronger at any time. There was only one firearm used for power in the story, and it was wielded by a woman. Every other power struggle seemed imbalanced in large part due to just brute strength, which comes off as such a horrible, foreboding message in a novel where so many horrific things occur as a result.
In some ways I almost feel like this is two different stories, or a book written by two different people. Maybe it's a case of a talented author being pigeon holed into writing something popular and shocking instead of more literary. Some parts seemed incredibly gripping and well-written, especially Sarah's escape scene for me. Other scenes were also particularly vivid, such as when Sarah first wakes up in the backseat and starts noticing things.
On the other hand, many aspects are soooo cheesy and out of a Hollywood nonsense blockbuster with too big of a budget. There is almost no characterization of anyone besides the protagonist, and maybe Jennifer, perhaps the what's-his-name sociopath if the author actually described any of Sarah's interactions with him. Traci, Christine, and (good God!) Adele(!) were such horrible, weird caricatures. There's also a helicopter rescue scene. And actual huge plot elements being justified with, "I know it's crazy, scary, stupid, and dangerous, but I just HAVE to do it!!" I guess this could be commentary about Sarah's anxieties, but it also came off as an unbelievable justification.
Maybe I just really like boring books, but I feel like this author could have pulled off an introspective novel about Sarah thinking back on everything that had happened to her, maybe seeking out the other two women and trying to make amends and getting ready for the parole hearing. I got the sense that the author really didn't want to research the legal elements because there were only vague mutterings about a disastrous trial and impending parole hearing that the reader never gets to.
I actually feel like all the action deterred from the storytelling because it got so far fetched and action packed. What the women actually unearthed as going on isn't far fetched, but all the characterization, sleuth work, and random happenstance certainly was.
The other incongruity is that amid all this action thriller nonsense, and maybe all action thrillers are like this and I just don't read that many of them to be used to it, is that the story suggestions are just so DARK and AWFUL. I really got the sense that none of these women would be safe, EVER, because they might be overpowered and trapped by someone just plain stronger at any time. There was only one firearm used for power in the story, and it was wielded by a woman. Every other power struggle seemed imbalanced in large part due to just brute strength, which comes off as such a horrible, foreboding message in a novel where so many horrific things occur as a result.