This thread will be fuuuuull of spoilers! Let me know your spoiler-y thoughts below.
Firstly, I am a little bit upset about the ending. I was really hoping Emma would go through with the trial, but I do understand why she didn't, and reading O'Neill's afterword really helped to consolidate my thoughts.
I DIDN'T LIKE ANY OF THE CHARACTERS EITHER. I thought her parents were disgusting and brutal. Her father, especially. Bryan redeemed himself in my mind, so I definitely liked him toward the end. I felt sorry for Jamie and Ali, but all of the girls were super bitchy. And how about those t-shirts?! That's horrible! How there was any doubt that these men were guilty is beyond me. Ugh.
I did think that the village was perhaps a little cliche? The fact that everyone-knows-everyone-but-everyone-hates-everyone was kind of annoying toward the end. I kind of just wanted to slap them all in the face and scream, "CAN YOU NOT SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU YOU STUPID HUMAN BEINGS?!"
I did LOVE how O'Neill showed anxiety, though, and how she portrayed Emma's thoughts via brackets and the italics. It was a really good literary device and I thought it was really effective.
So there you are, (some of) my spoiler-y thoughts! What did you think of the book?
Firstly, I am a little bit upset about the ending. I was really hoping Emma would go through with the trial, but I do understand why she didn't, and reading O'Neill's afterword really helped to consolidate my thoughts.
I DIDN'T LIKE ANY OF THE CHARACTERS EITHER. I thought her parents were disgusting and brutal. Her father, especially. Bryan redeemed himself in my mind, so I definitely liked him toward the end. I felt sorry for Jamie and Ali, but all of the girls were super bitchy. And how about those t-shirts?! That's horrible! How there was any doubt that these men were guilty is beyond me. Ugh.
I did think that the village was perhaps a little cliche? The fact that everyone-knows-everyone-but-everyone-hates-everyone was kind of annoying toward the end. I kind of just wanted to slap them all in the face and scream, "CAN YOU NOT SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU YOU STUPID HUMAN BEINGS?!"
I did LOVE how O'Neill showed anxiety, though, and how she portrayed Emma's thoughts via brackets and the italics. It was a really good literary device and I thought it was really effective.
So there you are, (some of) my spoiler-y thoughts! What did you think of the book?