3 stars
Listened to for my library’s book club. There were parts I liked and parts that weren’t for me.
The pace of the book is quite leisurely. Things unfold in their own time and there is quite a bit of description and getting lost in the main character’s thoughts. None of this is necessarily bad but if you’re looking for a fast-paced read, this isn’t it. It is quite slow and a better fit when you have the time to dedicate it.
The writing was well-done overall and there were interesting elements to the story. However, there was also bits that I just couldn’t get passed which prevented me from enjoying the story.
When it all comes down to it, I think French took a timeless story and tried to shove it into current times (that whole “yeet” conversation was just weird). The two offenses for me were making vague references to the BLM movement and using gender identity as a plot twist.
The first comes in terms of Cal’s backstory and his reasons for retiring. Personally, that whole part of the story was rather clunky. I understand French’s emphasis on moral ambiguity in this particular novel, but associating this ambiguity with police violence and racial profiling, at any point in history but especially now, just didn’t sit well. That part of the story was unnecessarily and handled pretty badly. If you don’t have to time to really delve into the matter, best to just leave it out completely. Cal being a supposed “good cop” who chose to get out of all that instead of helping change it didn’t make me care about his character. I would much rather read a book about what Trey went through.
The question of gender identity and expression comes as a rather unnecessary twist. Again, it was clunky and not handled well. It wasn’t needed at all and felt like a clumsy attempt to make the book relevant to today. It shows a misunderstanding of current dialogues on gender and sexuality. They aren’t meant to be surprise twists to keep your reader guessing. As with the BLM detail, I think if it’s not a big part of the story and you don’t have time to go into it, just leave it out. Gender is a blip in the story that serves no relevance other than surprising the reader (and making Cal look more like a jerk).
Overall, the writing was good and the story had its perks, but there were too many things that left a bad taste in my mouth. Not a good fit for me.