REVIEW: "Sunday Girl" by Pip Drysdale
I was in very few serious relationships before meeting — and quickly marrying — my now husband.
And I’m glad.
I know some girls love meeting new guys and going out on dates and sowing their wild oats — or whatever people say now, because I’m pretty sure that phrase went out with the rotary telephone #AgingMyself — but I was never one of those people.
As I’ve mentioned numerous times, I fucking sucked at dating.
I’m an overweight introvert with low self-esteem. Let’s face it, the dating world was not built for me.
I had no desire then, and have no desire now, to meet new people, date around or — please Jesus, no — have casual sex.
As I see it, avoiding these things has its benefits.
Along with providing an effective means of limiting the number of people who get to see you naked, not dating around also logically reduces the likelihood that you ever end up dating a total psychopath. And while I’ve always assumed that dating a crazy person would be… less than Ideal… my most recent read, Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale, showed me just how harrowing cozying up to an unhinged guy might actually be.
When Taylor Bishop ended her relationship with the unfortunately named Angus, it wasn’t on good terms. They, like most couples, had their strengths, but the weaknesses of their coupledom far outweighed them. Angus, Taylor came to learn, was not only addicted to drugs but also prone to violence.
Given the relative seriousness of the strikes against Angus, Taylor should have been content to exit the relationship. It wasn’t headed in a positive direction and, honestly, it seemed pretty likely that Angus was going to eventually harm her in some serious way.
But, as is too often the case in affairs of the heart, logic doesn’t prevail. Instead of feeling relief, Taylor finds herself consumed by anger. She’s so angry, that she decides she has to act out, getting revenge on Angus for his part in their failed relationship.
When Taylor enacts her revenge she expects to feel...something positive.
Satisfaction.
Relief.
Vindication.
But before she can even process her feelings and bask in a job well done. Angus contacts her, apologizing for his part in their failed relationship and begging for her to give him another shot.
Like many a bad decision before, Taylor decides to acquiesce to Angus’ request, diving back into the relationship with two feet.
At first, it all seems perfect.
Almost suspiciously so.
It’s as if the issues that came between them — most notably, Angus’ drug addiction and violence — have miraculously — and thankfully — been resolved.
Angus seems recommitted to Taylor and determined to be the best boyfriend possible.
But then she starts to see the cracks.
There is more to Angus’ change of heart than meets the eye. Is it possible that he, too, has his sights set on revenge? And, if he does, is Taylor any match for this historically unhinged man?
Like many relationships — I assume because, as I have already admitted, I haven’t been in many — my experience with this novel was...complicated.
There were some things that I really enjoyed. Most notably, the writing itself.
Drysdale’s prose was fluid and her voice distinctive. I tend to be a fan of lyrical — at times even flower — prose, and this book provided that. Drysdale didn’t ramble, but she did take her time, letting her story unfold in an artful way.
Unfortunately, what I would normally consider a huge strength was countered by weaknesses in both characterization and pacing.
When it comes to characters, I love shades of gray. Characters feel more real to me when they are neither entirely good nor entirely bad. Because people aren’t 100% good or bad — I mean, minus Hitler, obvi. Most of us are generally good people who, occasionally, do not so good things.
But, in this novel, I struggled. Specifically with Angus.
*Spoiler Alert*
As the plot progresses, it becomes clear that Angus doesn’t actually want a loving relationship with Taylor but, instead, to — basically — own her. And then, pretty suddenly, Angus morphs from an understandably flawed human to an unrealistically, fully evil caricature.
It didn’t feel real.
And, because it didn’t feel real, I disengaged with the story and became uninvested in the characters.
*End Spoiler*
Another, more global, issue that I found frustrating was the pacing of this novel.
Often, there were long lags between action. Extended periods of time — during which, I presume, tension was supposed to be building — where the plot appeared to be making no forward progress.
This pacing issue was most pronounced right at the climax.
*Spoiler Alert*
In what should be the most satisfying moments of the novel, Taylor and Angus finally, truly face off. He, blinded by rage, is a clear threat to her life. But then, just like that, it’s resolved.
He is neutralized and the threat is gone.
Like, why?
You spent the whole fucking book building up to this conflict, then you give it like 5 pages?
I felt cheated.
*End Spoilers*
Like the characterization problems, these pacing issues really hurt my investment in the characters and, by connection, my investment in the book.
While there were moments in which I was almost consumed by my concern for Taylor, there were others when I became so bored that I really didn’t care about her.
And if you don’t care about the central character in a thriller you really aren’t going to give a shit how it all turns out.
As a whole, these issues resulted in a reading experience that was, well, a bit unsatisfying. Though I wasn’t so upset with the novel that I was thankful the chore of reading was finished, I also wasn’t so enthralled that I was reluctant to put it down.
It was… meh.
Diehard fans of psychological thrillers — particularly those who adore relatively risqué sexual content — might find something to love here. For me, it was a bit of a miss.
It earns a relatively tepid 3 out of 5 cocktails.
Revenge was a central theme in this novel. What’s your favorite revenge-rich book? Tell me about it in the comments, below.
Let’s see… what to read next? To keep up with my reading — and drinking — subscribe to updates in the sidebar on the right and follow me on Goodreads.
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