I like the premise. I just wish it was executed differently, because I almost gave up in the middle and felt a little tricked by the end (and not in that fun, shocking thriller way). 

 

Energy: Accusatory. Messy. Suffusive. 

Scene: 🇲🇻 Mainly set at the fictional Sapphire Island Beach Resort, Republic of the Maldives.

Perspective (6): A recently divorced parent of three boys. Their spouse who runs a software company. Their 12-year-old child who has suddenly become withdrawn and angry. A Pilates instructor excited for a holiday. A ghostwriter reluctantly on holiday. A newlywed on their honeymoon. 

Timelines: Starts off with a snippet of a 2001 event. The rest of book takes place in 2023 and in the six months leading up to the trip.

 

🐺 Growls: Overly simplistic delivery of plot and character reveals. Narrative tricks (aka lies to!) the reader. 
🐕 Howls: Shift from a slow-paced contemporary fiction friendship study for most of the book to a sudden fast paced gore-filled popcorn thriller at the end. Character dialogue sounded too similar. When suspense was created by characters refusing to communicate. 
🐩 Tail Wags: The idea. The big bad. 

 

🤓 Reader Role: Observer from the sidelines. Starting with our narrator telling us about characters and their thoughts. As the story progresses, we are more distant an observer and know less about what the characters are thinking.   

🗺️ World-Building: A little under described. Not very immersive or atmospheric but detailed enough to imagine. 

🔥 Fuel: Withholding, escalating stakes, and layered secrets. Why is this unlikely trio vacationing together? Why is Charlie so angry with his mother? How will the newlywed handle the changes in her relationship? Who can they believe? Is there a killer on the island? Was justice served in the tragedy that bound them together? 

📖 Cred: Suspended disbelief, over-the-top

 

Cerulean waters. Palm trees. Bats overhead. White tunics. Tropical heat. Champagne. Beach huts. Candles in glass jars. Shimmering stars. Light jazz. Straw roof. Artificial intelligence. Blood. 

 

Content Heads-Up: Mass murder. Blood. Divorce. Abusive relationship (jealous, controlling, violent, gaslighting, pressure to reproduce). Panic attack, PTSD. Misogyny. Alcohol (partying, social). Cancer (brief mention). 9/11 (brief mention). Pedophilia, grooming, adult/minor relationship (off page/brief mention). Child abuse (emotional). Animal cruelty (rodents, birds). Psychopathy/personality disorder. Body horror, gore, vomit, blood.

 

Rep: British, Filipino-British. Catalan. Cisgender. Heterosexual. Lesbian. Olive, pale, and tanned skin tones. 

 

📚 Format: Everand Audio (<30%). Library Hardback (>30%).