The prologue is as direct as it is rough. No description, no break, no intro. Just action. A girl on the backseat, a stranger driving, a poisoned bottle of water. Kidnapping. I ended the prologue a bit de-stabilised, but also interested in what might happen after such a crude start.
The first chapter is to the bone just the same. No description, no intro, just the POV character and her husband. The dialogue feels a bit quirky with sentences dropped out of nowhere to make a point and deliver information. Not the most elegant of exchanges, but to the point as the rest of the narrative. We have the inciting incident, alright.
Chapter 2 a bit useless. It introduces a few more characters and this new Tim who, for some reason, should raise suspicions, but not clear why. How can you not trust someone if you met him for the first time 30 seconds before? Or better, why would you assume you should trust someone you met him for the first time 30 seconds before?
Chapter 3 even more useless in my opinion. Mum likes stranger, that’s it. There is little of the mantra show-don’t-tell in this chapter. Every emotion and feeling is plainly described, white on black, no showing whatsoever. A bit blunt if you ask me.
Chapters 4 and 5 are ok, I guess. They don’t really leave me hanging and waiting for the next chapter to come, but at least they are not as plain as the previous two.
I am afraid I won’t look out for this book when it comes out.
The first chapter is to the bone just the same. No description, no intro, just the POV character and her husband. The dialogue feels a bit quirky with sentences dropped out of nowhere to make a point and deliver information. Not the most elegant of exchanges, but to the point as the rest of the narrative. We have the inciting incident, alright.
Chapter 2 a bit useless. It introduces a few more characters and this new Tim who, for some reason, should raise suspicions, but not clear why. How can you not trust someone if you met him for the first time 30 seconds before? Or better, why would you assume you should trust someone you met him for the first time 30 seconds before?
Chapter 3 even more useless in my opinion. Mum likes stranger, that’s it. There is little of the mantra show-don’t-tell in this chapter. Every emotion and feeling is plainly described, white on black, no showing whatsoever. A bit blunt if you ask me.
Chapters 4 and 5 are ok, I guess. They don’t really leave me hanging and waiting for the next chapter to come, but at least they are not as plain as the previous two.
I am afraid I won’t look out for this book when it comes out.