Scan barcode
A review by mxsallybend
The Rest Will Come by Christina Bergling
3.0
A black comedy, with moments of bloody horror, The Rest Will Come is an interesting read. It is really two novels in one, which presents something of a challenge (depending on your reading tastes), but Christina Bergling is a strong enough writer to nudge us from one genre to another.
The story starts out strong with a date gone wrong, an accidental murder, and some authentic post-traumatic panic. We immediately get a sense of Emma as a likable young woman, caught in a bad situation, who reacted in an unfortunate manner.
After that chilling opening, however, the story shifts gears into contemporary romantic drama. We flashback to Emma's wedding, the dissolution of her marriage, the support of her best friend, and the agonies of electronic dating. All of that is well-written, further establishing Emma's character, and setting us up for her impending emotional break, but it takes a long time to play out. A very long time. I'll be honest, I started to lose patience with that aspect of the story, and I really feel the book would be better served by cutting about half of it.
Fortunately, patience is rewarded, and the story kicks into high gear once it finally circles around to reconnect with the opening, taking us through Emma's anxious drive home, the dismemberment of her date, and the disposal of the body. It's bloody, grisly stuff, but as the dates continue, psychological horror gives way to the black humor of the ultimate revenge fantasies. It's a guilty pleasure the rest of the way through, especially when Emma finds a guy foolish enough to hike up a mountain for a first date campout. After far too many easy murders, things finally hit a snag, and that's when we stop wondering about Emma and start worrying.
The prolonged romantic drama at its heart may test some reader's patience, but it is worth sticking around, because (as promised) The Rest Will Come. As for the ending, I suspected something along those lines was coming, but it was just about perfect.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
The story starts out strong with a date gone wrong, an accidental murder, and some authentic post-traumatic panic. We immediately get a sense of Emma as a likable young woman, caught in a bad situation, who reacted in an unfortunate manner.
After that chilling opening, however, the story shifts gears into contemporary romantic drama. We flashback to Emma's wedding, the dissolution of her marriage, the support of her best friend, and the agonies of electronic dating. All of that is well-written, further establishing Emma's character, and setting us up for her impending emotional break, but it takes a long time to play out. A very long time. I'll be honest, I started to lose patience with that aspect of the story, and I really feel the book would be better served by cutting about half of it.
Fortunately, patience is rewarded, and the story kicks into high gear once it finally circles around to reconnect with the opening, taking us through Emma's anxious drive home, the dismemberment of her date, and the disposal of the body. It's bloody, grisly stuff, but as the dates continue, psychological horror gives way to the black humor of the ultimate revenge fantasies. It's a guilty pleasure the rest of the way through, especially when Emma finds a guy foolish enough to hike up a mountain for a first date campout. After far too many easy murders, things finally hit a snag, and that's when we stop wondering about Emma and start worrying.
The prolonged romantic drama at its heart may test some reader's patience, but it is worth sticking around, because (as promised) The Rest Will Come. As for the ending, I suspected something along those lines was coming, but it was just about perfect.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review.