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A review by liisp_cvr2cvr
Viimane kustutab tule by Bethany Clift
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
An entertaining read that flows by fast. Depending how your own experience was during covid, you may like this book with a bit of a twist, or you may despise it. The author does not hold back on all sort of bodily fluids spewing and some folk are not too keen on that, so beware.
The MC is missing tons of common sense and "know how" for simple, elementary things everyone should know. Was she privileged? No. From the story we are given clear, straight indications that posh places were not something she would have frequented in her life and even though both of her parents were a loving pair of teachers, the softness of character did not seem to be something the MC herself took up on. She felt abrasive, towards others and herself, in a way that only the end of the world can round those edges and hit the factory reset button on someone. Anyway, my point is, if she wasn't a pampered posh Brit, then the complete absence of street-smart was a tad disappointing. Alas, this story was meant to be about someone, alone in the world, alive amongst everyone else dead, who just didn't have an effing clue, and that's fair enough. I will leave all the many tidbits that made me roll my eyes unmentioned.
The writing itself is no great work of art when it comes to prose. It's simple and it suits the story. The simple writing is what probably helped me in reading this book within a day, and this is not something I would necessarily score lower on. What I would score lower on is when the story structure patterns become visible, thus adding a sort of predictability. It was sort of like: I did this, I feel like so and this is my man. My man is like this, this is his past, this is how we live now. Next chapter: I did this, I am feeling like this and this is my best friend. My best friend is this, she does this and [enter another emotional observation]. It felt like each chapter with the introduction of a new plot device, a character (husband, mom-dad, Xavi, Ginny, place, etc.) followed the very same pattern. First intro! Then we have to have something that makes a connection to a person or a place, then we do a flashback, then we come back and conclude. That said... It seemed to work and sort of fit, because the MCs personal development was dependent on analyzing the past, revealing this information to the reader and making her own connections to seeing things differently and moving on to become a better, more aware person.
I mean, this is just an entertaining book. Don't go into this looking for something entirely unique. Lord knows since Covid we have virus books pushing in from windows and doors. Maybe this one stands out for 2 reasons:
1. you keep expecting zombies. But there won't be any.
2. the MC is just a human and her behaviour to certain situations was actually quite natural. We think, in the same situation, we ourselves would do better, be better. But I doubt it, not en masse anyway. Most of us would be the exact kind of fumbling mess :)
*I read this book as part of an online book club. Normally, I would not have picked this up as it's not my kind of jam, but I have to give credit where it's due: it was entertaining and I couldn't look away.
The MC is missing tons of common sense and "know how" for simple, elementary things everyone should know. Was she privileged? No. From the story we are given clear, straight indications that posh places were not something she would have frequented in her life and even though both of her parents were a loving pair of teachers, the softness of character did not seem to be something the MC herself took up on. She felt abrasive, towards others and herself, in a way that only the end of the world can round those edges and hit the factory reset button on someone. Anyway, my point is, if she wasn't a pampered posh Brit, then the complete absence of street-smart was a tad disappointing. Alas, this story was meant to be about someone, alone in the world, alive amongst everyone else dead, who just didn't have an effing clue, and that's fair enough. I will leave all the many tidbits that made me roll my eyes unmentioned.
The writing itself is no great work of art when it comes to prose. It's simple and it suits the story. The simple writing is what probably helped me in reading this book within a day, and this is not something I would necessarily score lower on. What I would score lower on is when the story structure patterns become visible, thus adding a sort of predictability. It was sort of like: I did this, I feel like so and this is my man. My man is like this, this is his past, this is how we live now. Next chapter: I did this, I am feeling like this and this is my best friend. My best friend is this, she does this and [enter another emotional observation]. It felt like each chapter with the introduction of a new plot device, a character (husband, mom-dad, Xavi, Ginny, place, etc.) followed the very same pattern. First intro! Then we have to have something that makes a connection to a person or a place, then we do a flashback, then we come back and conclude. That said... It seemed to work and sort of fit, because the MCs personal development was dependent on analyzing the past, revealing this information to the reader and making her own connections to seeing things differently and moving on to become a better, more aware person.
I mean, this is just an entertaining book. Don't go into this looking for something entirely unique. Lord knows since Covid we have virus books pushing in from windows and doors. Maybe this one stands out for 2 reasons:
1. you keep expecting zombies. But there won't be any.
2. the MC is just a human and her behaviour to certain situations was actually quite natural. We think, in the same situation, we ourselves would do better, be better. But I doubt it, not en masse anyway. Most of us would be the exact kind of fumbling mess :)
*I read this book as part of an online book club. Normally, I would not have picked this up as it's not my kind of jam, but I have to give credit where it's due: it was entertaining and I couldn't look away.