“Part 1: Intriguing, page-turning, frustrating, infuriating.
Part 2: WTFing.
The first third of the book was entertaining and at times written in a manner that could have fooled me into putting it in the category of modern literature. The middle third began transitioning into more of a pulp novel but one with satisfying and still mostly solid writing. The last third just fell apart and became exactly the archetypical-sensationalism of the worst of the genre.
What I initially thought to be a cautionary tale of misogyny run amok within the marriage of a couple of NYC expats, actually felt more like a rant by the author not much different than those of her Nancy Grace-ian character (except lobbed at women instead of women-killing husbands.)
Ultimately I was uncomfortable with much of the novel in the same way I'm uncomfortable when I hear a racist white guy quoting Chris Rock. I can just imagine a chorus of misogynists all over the country reciting in a smug, self satisfied voice, "Amen, sister."”
Ben Glasgow wrote this review Tuesday, January 22, 2013.
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