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A review by justinkhchen
The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon
4.0
3.75 stars
Innovative narrative structure but ultimately missing a wow factor, The Quiet Tenant has a lot going for it: a true-crime inspired setup, multiple POVs (some very unexpected ones), and sprinkling in a twisted romance. As a debut thriller this is handsomely written and meticulously assembled, but as a novel centering around a serial killer who is at the same time a charming, law abiding citizen and a caring widowed father, I find the depiction of this pivotal character a little flat and uninteresting.
The novel is structured like a character study, as we observe the serial killer form different female's perspective (victim, daughter, potential target). While the obvious intent is showing him as a devious, shifting chameleon, his behavior is so departmentalized and disconnected in each scenario, to the point I have a hard time mentally visualize him as a singular person. There's a point to be made that such individual should be an enigma, but I wish the author has supplemented some emotional depths to him—instead of just presenting the facades observed by others.
The Quiet Tenant rightfully amplifies female voices, and goes deep in exploring what it means to be victimized and traumatized (by men), which lies its ultimate dilemma: how do we avoid hero-worshiping a killer? Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka covers a very similar ground, and I appreciate its boldness in creating a fully sympathetic villain (and leaves it to the reader to judge), whereas The Quiet Tenant comes across a bit one-dimensional by leaving him vague and distant, with no moral grayness. Still a worthwhile read, but pale in comparison to other more ambitious work.
Innovative narrative structure but ultimately missing a wow factor, The Quiet Tenant has a lot going for it: a true-crime inspired setup, multiple POVs (some very unexpected ones), and sprinkling in a twisted romance. As a debut thriller this is handsomely written and meticulously assembled, but as a novel centering around a serial killer who is at the same time a charming, law abiding citizen and a caring widowed father, I find the depiction of this pivotal character a little flat and uninteresting.
The novel is structured like a character study, as we observe the serial killer form different female's perspective (victim, daughter, potential target). While the obvious intent is showing him as a devious, shifting chameleon, his behavior is so departmentalized and disconnected in each scenario, to the point I have a hard time mentally visualize him as a singular person. There's a point to be made that such individual should be an enigma, but I wish the author has supplemented some emotional depths to him—instead of just presenting the facades observed by others.
The Quiet Tenant rightfully amplifies female voices, and goes deep in exploring what it means to be victimized and traumatized (by men), which lies its ultimate dilemma: how do we avoid hero-worshiping a killer? Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka covers a very similar ground, and I appreciate its boldness in creating a fully sympathetic villain (and leaves it to the reader to judge), whereas The Quiet Tenant comes across a bit one-dimensional by leaving him vague and distant, with no moral grayness. Still a worthwhile read, but pale in comparison to other more ambitious work.