The Teacher: Gruesomely Dark
Even before I flipped to the
first chapter, I already sensed that the story is going to be very dark, but I
wasn’t prepared for how gruesomely dark the story is.
At one point, I actually
flinched when the author described the last moments of this one poor, poor character.
Was it over the top? Perhaps. Did the character deserve it? Perhaps not. But my
theory is that the graphic depiction was used to justify whatever was to come (dun-dun-duuun!).
This effectively puts the reader in an ethical and moral quandary (that is if
you’re like me who gets too involved in stories like this).
What’s great is that even DS Imogen
Grey and DS Adrian Miles are in that same predicament. So yeah, we’re all in
the same boat.
Although it’s easy to get
hooked, there’s a lot of jumping around between story arcs, timelines, and
characters. If you have short-term memory, it can be challenging. (Sorry, Dory,
this isn’t for you).
The next hurdle is figuring
out who the main characters are. With so many subplots, it’s not unusual to favour
one over another and the same goes with the characters. So, in my mind, the main
characters are those that stand out because their stories are more fleshed out
than the others.
Readers might be put off by
this but I’m actually on board this “chaotic” non-linear storytelling. What’s
important to me is if the author can tie up loose ends and deliver that “payoff”.
Done and done.
And when the bad guys are extremely bad, you’d appreciate how things have turned out.
Here's my attempt at stop motion.
Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.com
