Reviews

30%: Puh. This one is a hard read for me. I definitely wouldn’t have picked it up if it wasn’t a part of Different Seasons which I’m currently reading.

I’m not fond of reading about Animal Abuse — usually a reason for me to DNF if it gets too explicit. I’m also not a fan of using Nazis and the Holocaust as a gimmick. Always seems to trivialise it to an extent, no matter how explicit the horrors.

75.0%: This short novel —which is not that short, after all, it seems — drags on much too long for my taste. It meanders, and the point it continues to try to make has been made about 150 pages ago.

Yes, the protagonists are horrible.
They deserve everything they get and more.

The backstory reminds me of Der Verdacht in a way, which is done better, imo.

90.0%: While I’m still not fond of this story, I have to admit that them getting what they deserve feels incredibly satisfying.
Even though D would have deserved to face justice.

Finished: Overall a disappointing read for the reasons mentioned above. I‘m debating if I should provide a better argument for why I didn‘t like this story, but, in all honesty, it seems like it‘s not worth the effort. The emotional catharsis I had hoped for, wishing the protagonists would get their comeuppance in a satisfying manner was ultimately disappointed too.

mateaaah's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

starshine052487's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

2.0

kiti227's review against another edition

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4.0

Fairly disturbing. The utterly horrific and graphic descriptions of the animal killings etc give way to a constant unsettling exploration of the mundane everyday way the two main characters think about actions and memories that would make most people run away screaming. Seriously considered stopping halfway due to sheer grossness, however there is an inexplicable draw to keep reading and find out how the characters proceed.

What's most unsettling about this novella however isn't the graphics, but the historical level.

Descriptions and memories of the camp tie perfectly into the story, without going into details King manges to pull up a convincing setting, a constant companion to the story. The reader observing the graphic fictional horrors to some degree of pleasure (not saying we're all psychopaths, but why are people so fascinated with thrillers, crime novels and true crime series?) is, to some degree, mirroring Dussanders pleasure in his crimes at the camp. Todds budding fascination with creepy stories told by a authority escalating to actual murders likewise mirrors the history of Germany leading up to the crimes of the Holocaust.

A good albeit not really enjoyable read, very King in the superb way the characters are written, story-wise a bit unusual for him. Plenty of food for thought. And quite possibly nightmares.

cdaubert's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

brina_jagodic's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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