REVIEW: "Watch Me Disappear" by Janelle Brown
“The job of a writer, he’d learned over time, was not to try to tell a story in its entirety, but to tell an inevitably abbreviated version in the most interesting way one could.”
- Watch Me Disappear
People say this so much that it’s become cliché, but this is the next Gone Girl.
One of the things I personally loved about Gone Girl was that I had heard the title fall off of so many people’s lips but I didn’t know anything about the plot. So my discovery was complete and pure. Unadulterated and not shaded by expectation.
I read this book similarly blind, and enjoyed the hell out of it. And, for this reason, I’m trying to specifically avoid telling you what this book is about.
The only real critique I have of this book is, admittedly, a bit nitpick. There was an *ever so slight* excessive use of the words “anachronistic” and “chagrin”. By pg 150, they had been used three times and two times, respectively. Admittedly, I probably wouldn’t have noticed that, save for that fact that I, too, like these words. And, as such, they stand out to me, making spotting their repetition easy.
The thing that made this book so special – Brown took her time. She took the time to make me give a a fuck about the characters. And, I’m sure, in doing so, she lost some readers…Those who wanted her to get to the point. But for me, it was highly effective. And I suspect it would be for others as well. Because, while she took her time, she also dropped enough breadcrumbs to keep me satiated and engaged.
This repetition aside, this book was satisfying until the very end. It had one of the most – if not the most – satisfying epilogues ever.
Unlike most epilogues, which serve only to weaken the conclusion of the book, this one was much needed. As a neared the end of the book, I did start to become worried. Everything seemed to be tied up so neatly – too neatly, TBH.
And then came the epilogue, like a freight train, barreling down the tracks and upending everything that had been put right.
Perfect. Exhilarating. Satisfying.
To the very. last. word.
I give a very enthusiastic 5 cocktails.
In case you couldn't tell, I spend a lot of time...in real life and on Pinterest...looked for the next Gone Girl. What's the book that you desperately want to find the next one of? Tell me in the comments.
Want to read some other stuff? You can go here if you feel so inclined.
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