Reviews

Hot Sur by Laura Restrepo

luiscarlosverver's review against another edition

inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

lisawhelpley's review

4.0

I read this because it was free on Amazon. It took me a long time to read -- almost a month. However, unlike other reviewers, I did like this book. I found the suspense fun and it kept me reading.

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 Hot Sur a literary thriller that tells the intertwined stories of Maria Paz, an immigrant charged with killing her husband, and Ian Rose, whose son was killed in a motorbike accident. It’s a story with many layers - immigration, prison life, religious fanaticism, ritualistic killings, the legal system, the American dream, grief, love, betrayal and more. I enjoyed its structure - a writer is compiling a book and the source material includes interviews with Ian Rose, notebooks from his son, and a manuscript by Maria Paz. It’s a long book and the style is very discursive. Sometimes I enjoyed it and found it immersive and absorbing; at other times bloated and boring. It’s a very challenging read, slow to get going and come together, definitely darker than my usual fare. At times it compelled my attention yet at other times I was desperate to look away. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, and Violence

bryanlmurillo's review against another edition

5.0

Este libro es un 4.5 neto.

Es el primer thriller que leo de una escritora colombiana y me encantó.

¿Han escuchado del sueño americano? Pues bien, este libro trata de eso y lo malo que podría ocurrir cuando nada está a tu favor.


Recomendado.

lizro23's review against another edition

2.0

The ending was satisfying, and the characters were definitely interesting. However, this book is full of gore, rape, and violence in relation to a sadistic interpretation of the crucifixion of Christ. Don't read this book if you don't like reading about animals being harmed as well. I had a hard time with that.

zizi822's review against another edition

2.0

Meh

It was alright. I liked the way it was narrated and how it jumped from excerpts of journal entries to an interview. I probably wouldn't recommend it, though.

herownbeat's review against another edition

1.0

Painful

I forced myself to finish the book. There were too many people telling the story, which caused it to be scattered. Also, I was upset that I finished the book because I hated the ending.

mariacrisca's review against another edition

4.0

I think it was a very well written and interesting book. The way the author manages to tell the story trought the eyes of the different charecters is very well-acomplished and makes the whole tale much more interesting and fascinating. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes stories about survival and human struggles.

fictionaltiff's review against another edition

3.0

I really enjoyed this book overall, but the inconsistencies with how American law works and the way the author portrays law enforcement really got to me and I couldn't look past it. The words jail and prison can't be used interchangeably, so right off the bat, I knew there were going to be parts I didn't like.

Overall, the story was very good and suspenseful. It just wasn't my style.

rebleejen's review against another edition

3.0

As I was reading this book, I alternated between being interested in how things were going to turn out and being annoyed that I was being subjected to someone's unedited brain vomit. Of course, I was only subjecting myself. I could have stopped reading if I'd wanted to, but I kept thinking, "There's got to be a point to all of this." Also, it was interesting. Until I got to the end and realized I still had no idea what the point of any of it was.