Even if I DNF a book, I often write a shortened review to remind myself (and to inform other readers) of why exactly I had to set a book aside. Since these are generally bite-sized reviews and don’t happen very often, I thought I’d give you a few books to let you know what didn’t work for me and why.
Halfway to Schist by Peter Bridgford
I received an advance reading copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Full disclosure, I couldn’t finish this book, thus the lack of a rating. I tried, I really did, but I must not have seen what others found in this book to be so captivating; I had to force myself to continue reading to ensure I could have a review written. I may finish it in the future, but I have spent the last two weeks trying to read a fairly short book, which is unheard of for me. That being said, I did get about halfway through, so I think I can still speak on a few aspects that might influence a potential reader.
This book is strong in quiet moments – in fact, a large portion of the book is quiet and steeped in scenery. Bridgford can certainly describe the environment, and there is evident care in the descriptions of geologic processes. I can definitely see why folks appreciate this aspect of the book, as it is well done.
Unfortunately, the draw for me in any book is character, and I found that that was sorely lacking here. Red has virtually no introspection whatsoever – she says she’s ultimately happy they made the big move, but I definitely can’t tell that from her attitude or her actions, so I don’t know where she’s getting that from. Her father seems to have no traits other than being a geologist and feeling guilty about his part in the war. The peripheral characters don’t even really begin to show their personalities until about halfway through, and by that point I was wholly uninterested in the whole thing. Dialogue is the heavy-hitter for characterization, and yet it sounds paradoxically too modern to be the 1950s and too formal to be the way any human being would speak. The mother’s geologic metaphors for life felt trite and forced, and I wish it had been left for the reader to draw their conclusions rather than having it spelled out for Red directly.
I might very well give this one another go. There is definitely potential here, and perhaps I should have persevered longer to get to the reward of the book – but at the same time, you shouldn’t have to read half the book without any sort of payoff whatsoever.
Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
DNF at 23%.
I was excited about the premise of Woman of Light, and even more so after reading the prologue, but unfortunately the bulk of the quarter or so I read of the book was a slog. I did find the characters interesting, and I do love a good multi-generational story, but the prose itself was dense, as though Fajardo-Anstine wanted every sentence to pack a punch. Sometimes in reading a paragraph, one sentence would awkwardly jar into the next; I found this particularly troublesome in a scene where a father is referred to both as “father” and as “Benny,” as though it should be clear that they are one and the same. The effect means the story lean too much on trying to be Literary Fiction (with capital letters) that it falls flat in what makes for a fun read – and what makes for good Literary Fiction in the first place.
Fajardo-Anstine is definitely an author to watch for – this just lacked the editing that would have made it a stunning read, which is disappointing considering the potential for this story.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
DNF at 15%.
The editor’s note at the beginning of Nightcrawling psyches the reader up for a fantastic debut by a stunning young author – and in many ways, this is true. Mottley’s sheer talent at writing beautiful prose hits you from the very start, and it’s clear that Mottley is an author to look for in the future.
However, I do think the editing team has let this particular story down. Every single sentence on the page is overflowing with meaning and insight, so much so that the reader hardly has enough time to digest one before the next begins. There is no time to sit with a meaningful turn of phrase when every sentence is packed with them. I understand the editor’s reluctance to alter a work like this, but unfortunately the result is difficult to read and undermines the novel.
Any disappointment I have in this book I lay at the editor’s feet. Mottley is already on the path to being a bestselling author; the raw talent shown in this book is proof of that. I’ll be a reader of anything else Mottley chooses to write. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t the one for me.
Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.
