Play Book Tag discussion

“Can’t you see how beautiful you make tragedy?”
“No,” he said,

When an author pushes too hard in one direction, taking away all my options for critical thinking, quality writing and believable characters/plot – all of it sacrificed in the name of the Almighty Message – I start nitpicking. Chris Whitaker makes it much too easy to demolish this construction, which is a pity because the story he had in mind was an important one, about traumatized children and the heavy baggage they are forced to carry for a lifetime.
It all becomes unravelled for me in execution, in an eerily similar fashion to my earlier experience this year of Fredrik Backman, who also wrote a book about childhood friendship dealing with over-powering abuse. Both authors are fascinated by words like ‘absolutely’ and ‘perfect’ . Both have a main character who becomes a self-made painter, a magical artist who can capture the essence of a moment, of a person on canvas, to the utter amazement of the whole world!
The formula seems to work for most of the readership here on Goodreads, but I cannot join the bandwagon. I prefer a little moderation in sentimentality, a little subtlety in the promotion of issues, and a little more craft in the plotting of a major story.

I am not going to do a detailed synopsis now. Two children in a small Missouri town become friends, get involved in a case of a serial killer who kidnaps beautiful girls, and then spend the next two or three decades of their lives hunting this elusive monster.

The book is tagged recommended 70 times, recommend 32 times and recommendations 44 times. I should have paid more attention probably to the 3724 variants of DNF on the first 2 pages of popular tags for the novel, but I am an optimist and I keep trying to find one of these ultra popular tomes that fits my style. I hope I have better luck in 2026 than this year.

“Do something meaningful. Or maybe just mean everything you do,” is the one piece of good advice that I came away with from this visit.

Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: " “Can’t you see how beautiful you make tragedy?”
“No,” he said,

When an author pushes too hard in one direction, taking away all my options for critical thinking, quality writing and believable c..."

I am glad to see your review. My very close friend HATED this book, and so I avoided it. But then it kept being recognized, and I was wondering what I was missing. But the way you describe it - - it sounds exactly like the type of book I really don't care to read. So after your review, I can really cross this off my list.

I think I avoided this book as too dark but now I see your review, I'm sure I was right. I was one of the few who found the Backman book My Friends manipulative, with too much misery and too quick a redemption at the end.

It is very similar to Fredrik Backman- My Friends, both in style and in content. What didn't work for me, might be the bee's knees for another reader

Robin P wrote: "I think I avoided this book as too dark but now I see your review, I'm sure I was right. I was one of the few who found the Backman book My Friends manipulative, with too much mise..."

At least this one has Bees in it. Bees teach us valuable lessons about the need for pain (?) in order to enjoy life, about hard work and dedication.

I know I am being snarky, and that I broke my own promises that if I don't have something nice to say about an honest effort from a hard working author I should keep quiet, but I needed to unload my frustration at my own OCD habit of finishing every book I start.