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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
1.0
The Conjoined by Jen Sookfong Lee is one of the worst books I have read this year. Jessica Campbell’s mother, Donna has passed away. Jessica and her father, Gerry are clearing out her things (especially all the health food they cannot stand). Gerry goes downstairs to clear out the freezers (you just know what he is going to find) and finds a body. Detective Chris Gallo comes in to lead the investigation and the forensic team soon finds a second body. Jessica suspects that they are two foster children that disappeared years ago. How did they end up in the freezers? Could her mother have killed them? Jessica is determined to get to the bottom of the story. Jessica must look to the past to get answers. Will she be able to find out the truth?
The Conjoined was a strange story with a disappointing ending. The story focuses on Jessica, her search for answers, and her relationship with her boyfriend, Trevor. The novel is disjointed and jumps around making it hard to read. It starts in the present, then goes back in time, then forward, then back. I felt like a yo-yo. I persevered and kept reading though. I get to the end and I am disappointed (upset, disgusted and so much more). The novel has foul language (too much of it) and intimate scenes. I give The Conjoined 1 out of 5 stars (I really did not like it). Jessica was not a likeable character. She is with Trevor, but spends her time fantasizing about Detective Chris Gallo (and drinking too much alcohol). The Conjoined was just not for me.
The Conjoined was a strange story with a disappointing ending. The story focuses on Jessica, her search for answers, and her relationship with her boyfriend, Trevor. The novel is disjointed and jumps around making it hard to read. It starts in the present, then goes back in time, then forward, then back. I felt like a yo-yo. I persevered and kept reading though. I get to the end and I am disappointed (upset, disgusted and so much more). The novel has foul language (too much of it) and intimate scenes. I give The Conjoined 1 out of 5 stars (I really did not like it). Jessica was not a likeable character. She is with Trevor, but spends her time fantasizing about Detective Chris Gallo (and drinking too much alcohol). The Conjoined was just not for me.
littlewitchreading's review against another edition
4.0
There's a whole lot to unpack in this one, the whole book exists in a kind of gray area. Will definitely be thinking about this for a while. All kinds of trigger warnings on this one too. It definitely does not wrap up nice and neat so know that going in.
shannalo's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
carb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
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
3.5
gleefulreader's review against another edition
1.0
There are topics that should make for a thought-provoking book. In this case, the discovery of the bodies of two girls that went missing from foster care system nearly 30 years earlier.
But then an author inserts enough belief-straining melodrama to fill a 1,000 page book, never mind 268 pages, that the book becomes a hot mess (including a chapter attempting to normalize the relationship between a 37 yo man & a 14 yo girl). A wasted opportunity.
But then an author inserts enough belief-straining melodrama to fill a 1,000 page book, never mind 268 pages, that the book becomes a hot mess (including a chapter attempting to normalize the relationship between a 37 yo man & a 14 yo girl). A wasted opportunity.
dilemmanorton's review against another edition
3.0
This book pulled me through, and left my heart exposed open with very little closure. If you're ready for that rollercoaster, then dive right in.
I expected a mystery novel but it's definitely more of a social commentary about the child welfare system, racism, and the fallacy of a being a "good person". Set in Vancouver, BC, Jessica is a social worker who discovered the bodies of two girls in her parent's freezer after her mother's passing. This discovery doesn't line up at all with the mother that Jessica knew, or the woman her father married. The terrible discovery makes Jessica question just about everything in her life. My heart hurt for her realizations, but then broke even more reading the story of the two girls. There are several sad story-lines in this book but I ate each of them up. As I said to my partner as I was frustratingly reading the last few pages, "they aren't going to tell me what happened because I think they want to make a point." I think the point would have been enough had I not assumed this was going to be a murder mystery with a big exciting twist at the ending.
I expected a mystery novel but it's definitely more of a social commentary about the child welfare system, racism, and the fallacy of a being a "good person". Set in Vancouver, BC, Jessica is a social worker who discovered the bodies of two girls in her parent's freezer after her mother's passing. This discovery doesn't line up at all with the mother that Jessica knew, or the woman her father married. The terrible discovery makes Jessica question just about everything in her life. My heart hurt for her realizations, but then broke even more reading the story of the two girls. There are several sad story-lines in this book but I ate each of them up. As I said to my partner as I was frustratingly reading the last few pages, "they aren't going to tell me what happened because I think they want to make a point." I think the point would have been enough had I not assumed this was going to be a murder mystery with a big exciting twist at the ending.
msnreynolds's review against another edition
3.0
This was part of the May Fold Challenge - A Mystery or Crime Fiction by an Asian Canadian author.
sa_wah's review against another edition
2.0
I loved elements of this story and the writer's descriptive style, but I completely hated most of the characters. Their relationships we shallow and unrealistic. I especially disliked how she portrayed gender stereotypes about men, etc. I don't mind a shallow book with shallow characters if it's admittedly that. It felt like it's either a shallow book struggling for depth, or a potentially deeper story pandering to a shallow reader. I couldn't tell which.
horthhill's review against another edition
1.0
'The Conjoined' by Jen Sookfong Lee was disappointing. It was something of a precious read: there was no resolution to the main plot. How did they die? Don't know. Who killed? Don't know. From the first chapter when we meet the bodies I figured by the last chapter we would know. We don't.