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A review by justabean_reads
The Circle by Katherena Vermette
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
(Maybe it's just me, but there's always a certain level of breath holding going into the third book in a trilogy. Is the author going to be able to weave in all five hundred plot threads, deal with the many many many characters in a more or less satisfying way, and still keep on track with the theme? I've seen so many series go *splot* on the last book!)
I feel like a sportscaster at a major gymnastics competition, yelling, "And she sticks the landing! She worked hard, it was all there, and now she's put in a perfect final act! katherna vermette, the new world champion!"
I loved how vermette expanded on the structure of the first book (which alternated through a dozen or so points of view in a way that dolled the information out bit by bit) and that of the second (which cycled through four women's lives, each chapter deepening our understanding) into this spiral shape. Each character, and there are many, gets one chapter to have their say, each one adds context, often conflicting, some move the mystery plot forward, some don't. And you're left in suspense until the very end, but at the same time the whole structure is about waiting and listening, not rushing on to find out the end.
There are not a lot of writers who could capture the wide spread of points of of view and ways of seeing the world, from a young child watching her mom and dad pointedly not argue, to a traumatised twenty year-old getting in tumblr wars about Supernatural, to a gangland killer, to an alcoholic reporter, to an elder with a lifetime of reconciliation and regret behind him and who just wants to keep the skunks out of his dead wife's roses. It's incredibly vivid and empathetic. But vermette also doesn't shy away from how much harm characters are doing, and have done, and doesn't let anyone get away with self justification, not without showing another point of view.
Also, I remember a couple background lesbian characters in the first book, but the third book has really gone hard on "everyone is queer, non-binary and/or two-spirit, and everything hurts"! And I just like it a lot.
Also, the end was perfect.
10/10, no notes and a standing ovation.
I feel like a sportscaster at a major gymnastics competition, yelling, "And she sticks the landing! She worked hard, it was all there, and now she's put in a perfect final act! katherna vermette, the new world champion!"
I loved how vermette expanded on the structure of the first book (which alternated through a dozen or so points of view in a way that dolled the information out bit by bit) and that of the second (which cycled through four women's lives, each chapter deepening our understanding) into this spiral shape. Each character, and there are many, gets one chapter to have their say, each one adds context, often conflicting, some move the mystery plot forward, some don't. And you're left in suspense until the very end, but at the same time the whole structure is about waiting and listening, not rushing on to find out the end.
There are not a lot of writers who could capture the wide spread of points of of view and ways of seeing the world, from a young child watching her mom and dad pointedly not argue, to a traumatised twenty year-old getting in tumblr wars about Supernatural, to a gangland killer, to an alcoholic reporter, to an elder with a lifetime of reconciliation and regret behind him and who just wants to keep the skunks out of his dead wife's roses. It's incredibly vivid and empathetic. But vermette also doesn't shy away from how much harm characters are doing, and have done, and doesn't let anyone get away with self justification, not without showing another point of view.
Also, I remember a couple background lesbian characters in the first book, but the third book has really gone hard on "everyone is queer, non-binary and/or two-spirit, and everything hurts"! And I just like it a lot.
Also, the end was perfect.
10/10, no notes and a standing ovation.