Reviews

The Singer's Gun by Emily St. John Mandel

jennyluwho's review against another edition

4.0

A family and love story that’s truly unique.

beetsnbees's review

thought i wouldn't cry reading it this time but i did ❤️‍🩹. not the most interesting or ambitious of mandel's novels but i still really like it

oxnard_montalvo's review

ESJM is so so good at writing people in limbo. Weaving in and out of the past and present, it’s a thriller without much in the way of thrills, but still gripping. I was utterly absorbed: will probably have to write more later since I’m still sitting with it.

hyphae's review

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

lilshorty's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

You know how there are airplane movies? This is an airplane book. Perfectly acceptable to binge on a flight and a couple of layovers. 

I feel like this book is an early draft and not quite finished. Perhaps it’s just not my genre but it reached for depths it could not attain and the mystery was neither particularly intriguing (which it should have been), nor creatively explored.

eyelit's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

burneb01's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

maddie_can_read's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I really love Mandel's writing style. Her writing/ storytelling style is very unique and is definitely not for everyone. 

I've been reading her books out of publishing order and did not realize this was her second published book. It's interesting to see themes come up that she goes on to explore more in later works

like ghosts, hotels, shipping industry, music

. Also the interwoven storytelling is much simpler in this book and I found it a much easier and more straightforward read. 

One of the reasons I always enjoy the author's writing is how  she centers Canada and Canadian characters and locations in her writing. 

the one thing I kept thinking about was having a character from the far North of Canada but then like not committing to making them indigenous? I know there's lots of debate about writing characters of different backgrounds and the ethics of it but it seemed strange . Maybe the author wasn't sure about handling themes of indigeneity but I felt di appointed when I realized the character wasn't indigenous. Also while in real life a lot of social workers and nurses go up north to work they generally don't stay and raise their children there if they're not from there

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Content Warnings

Minor: Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Grief

emilycathn's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

katiegilley's review against another edition

4.0

Emily St. John Mandel has such a distinct voice and tells interesting stories. I was sucked into this book right away and found it hard to put down. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but found that it made sense with a little thought.

Spoiler

Anton will never has resolution about his shady past and will always be looking over his shoulder. And that's exactly how it ended.