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A review by revisins
Kind of Cruel by Sophie Hannah
4.0
There are times when psychological thrillers focus so much on their antagonists that much of that much of the emphasis falls on the psycho portion of the genre. The psychological thriller has become a playground for authors to trot out their Hannibal-lites, proto-Hannibals, or such extreme and perverse variants on Harris’ character. It has diluted an otherwise effective and unnerving genre into becoming a pulp mill for the next cinematic IP. So, it is shocking when a writer crafts a novel that lacks a scenery chewing, cartoonish, over wrought and thinly drawn devil and instead uses the mental mechanisms of its protagonist to underline the psychology at work in their novel.
Kind of Cruel is at moments, immediate and others clinically distant. The push/pull of the story’s three woven narratives pronounces that ebb and flow. The tensions inherent in all three strands harmonize with each other to compel a reader to burn through page after page. It is a taut read and anyone who is looking for a late summer scorcher of a story, will not be disappointed.
That is not to say Kind of Cruel is perfect. There are some narrative leaps that can lead to momentary confusion and frustration. There is also some necessary suspension of disbelief that is customary to genre—but it doesn’t strain against credulity.
Kind of Cruel is a family story in how dysfunction can function in day to day. The little familial guilts and larger familiar grieves that accumulate inform the story that bring it to an incredible focus. With no overt villain, Kind of Cruel feels more realistic in its approach—even with some of the narrative gymnastics. It is a story that if you let it work its nails into your skin, it will not let go easily and you will appreciate the marks it leaves.
Thank you for the ARC copy prodvided by GoodReads FirstReads program.
Kind of Cruel is at moments, immediate and others clinically distant. The push/pull of the story’s three woven narratives pronounces that ebb and flow. The tensions inherent in all three strands harmonize with each other to compel a reader to burn through page after page. It is a taut read and anyone who is looking for a late summer scorcher of a story, will not be disappointed.
That is not to say Kind of Cruel is perfect. There are some narrative leaps that can lead to momentary confusion and frustration. There is also some necessary suspension of disbelief that is customary to genre—but it doesn’t strain against credulity.
Kind of Cruel is a family story in how dysfunction can function in day to day. The little familial guilts and larger familiar grieves that accumulate inform the story that bring it to an incredible focus. With no overt villain, Kind of Cruel feels more realistic in its approach—even with some of the narrative gymnastics. It is a story that if you let it work its nails into your skin, it will not let go easily and you will appreciate the marks it leaves.
Thank you for the ARC copy prodvided by GoodReads FirstReads program.