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My reading is way down this year, for a variety of reasons, and my reading satisfaction has plummeted. The latest go-to authors who've disappointed are Samantha Downing (A Twisted Love Story), Shari Lapena (Everyone Here Is Lying), and Laura Lippman (Prom Mom).
Downing's latest is the best of the bunch, but that's not saying much. Unlikable, unrealistic characters behaving badly. Twisted sociopaths, but not interesting. There's a mild late surprise, but by that point it's hard to care.
Lapena's novel is also populated with unlikable, unrealistic characters. Would a father whose daughter has disappeared really obstruct police and risk her life to hide an affair? And the daughter herself? Lordy!
Lippman's book was the biggest disappointment, as a story about a teen who gave birth at prom in 1997 seems to have potential, but most of the story was set in 2020. Why 2020? So Lippman could include covid and the 2020 election and Target runs for toilet paper, all for no discernable reason. I kept listening to the book in hopes of figuring out what the story was, but there is no real story until the last few chapters. And, of course, the novel featured unlikable characters.
Honestly, I don't need to love all the characters, but I'm tired of books where every character seems to be seriously warped.
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