I thought I would enjoy this. I read the first 30 pages or so on this site, and bought it off the back of the sample I read, thinking the premise sounded quite interesting and that it would be an emotional read.
The author's dedication is to 'anyone who has found themselves floored by the absence of a telephone call', and I believe the title in some places is actually 'Ghosted' rather than 'The Man Who Didn't Call'. Either way, I want to point out here that ghosting doesn't have to be in a situation where you love the person - I have been ghosted and never felt more than affection for the people who ghosted me, as it was usually after just one date (yeah, I had a great time, let's meet again soon - then - nothing).
There are a few things that irritated me about this book, and which led to the low rating I gave it in the end:-
The Premise and Plot:
It started off sounding interesting. A woman spends a week with a man, falls in love, and then doesn't hear from him again. I thought it would be a meaningful exploration of the hurt and humiliation that you feel when that happens to you. But no. This is insta-love followed by obsessive stalking. For a forty year old woman, she takes it to such extremes that it seems almost unbelievable. It would have felt more realistic if the character had been younger, less experienced in love and the world, and less mature. This woman has been married a long time, and has not dated 'in the days of modern technology', so it goes some way to explaining her actions, but still. She's a mature woman. It never felt right to me that she would act such a way.
To put it simply, the plot was boring. The first half of the book dragged. The second half got more interesting, but none of the twists surprised me.
The Characters:
I didn't really connect with any of them. I don't know why, exactly, but I couldn't sympathise with any of them, especially not the two main characters. I hated that the woman had the same name as me. I didn't like Eddie's actions at all - he could have at least let her know, which is brought up in the book, but still. I couldn't get behind him as a character because of how he acted. Sarah was an obsessive bunny boiler, and I didn't like her much either. I have to like the characters on some level to enjoy the book. Or be able to sympathise or understand them on some level, at least. And I felt none of those things here.
The Writing:
The first half of the book felt a bit off to me - phrases like 'my lungs felt like they'd been bundled into a tiny chamber behind my nose', or too many descriptions of the scenery, or the fact that it took what felt like half of the book for them to drive to the school where they were supporting a friend doing a talk because of the main character's constant flashbacks to 'the perfect week' or to her past, or their boring conversations. I felt like Rudi for most of the book: annoyed or bored or both.
There were also not-so-great things like the reference to the main character's ex as 'effete' and her new lover as the most manly of men (I don't think these comparisons are healthy, as it sets unrealistic expectations on men, not that many men would read this book).
Conclusion:
I did not enjoy this book that much. I read it fairly quickly, but it felt like it dragged. Contradiction, I know. I didn't care for the characters, the writing wasn't that engaging, and the plot was dull.
The author's dedication is to 'anyone who has found themselves floored by the absence of a telephone call', and I believe the title in some places is actually 'Ghosted' rather than 'The Man Who Didn't Call'. Either way, I want to point out here that ghosting doesn't have to be in a situation where you love the person - I have been ghosted and never felt more than affection for the people who ghosted me, as it was usually after just one date (yeah, I had a great time, let's meet again soon - then - nothing).
There are a few things that irritated me about this book, and which led to the low rating I gave it in the end:-
The Premise and Plot:
It started off sounding interesting. A woman spends a week with a man, falls in love, and then doesn't hear from him again. I thought it would be a meaningful exploration of the hurt and humiliation that you feel when that happens to you. But no. This is insta-love followed by obsessive stalking. For a forty year old woman, she takes it to such extremes that it seems almost unbelievable. It would have felt more realistic if the character had been younger, less experienced in love and the world, and less mature. This woman has been married a long time, and has not dated 'in the days of modern technology', so it goes some way to explaining her actions, but still. She's a mature woman. It never felt right to me that she would act such a way.
To put it simply, the plot was boring. The first half of the book dragged. The second half got more interesting, but none of the twists surprised me.
The Characters:
I didn't really connect with any of them. I don't know why, exactly, but I couldn't sympathise with any of them, especially not the two main characters. I hated that the woman had the same name as me. I didn't like Eddie's actions at all - he could have at least let her know, which is brought up in the book, but still. I couldn't get behind him as a character because of how he acted. Sarah was an obsessive bunny boiler, and I didn't like her much either. I have to like the characters on some level to enjoy the book. Or be able to sympathise or understand them on some level, at least. And I felt none of those things here.
The Writing:
The first half of the book felt a bit off to me - phrases like 'my lungs felt like they'd been bundled into a tiny chamber behind my nose', or too many descriptions of the scenery, or the fact that it took what felt like half of the book for them to drive to the school where they were supporting a friend doing a talk because of the main character's constant flashbacks to 'the perfect week' or to her past, or their boring conversations. I felt like Rudi for most of the book: annoyed or bored or both.
There were also not-so-great things like the reference to the main character's ex as 'effete' and her new lover as the most manly of men (I don't think these comparisons are healthy, as it sets unrealistic expectations on men, not that many men would read this book).
Conclusion:
I did not enjoy this book that much. I read it fairly quickly, but it felt like it dragged. Contradiction, I know. I didn't care for the characters, the writing wasn't that engaging, and the plot was dull.