Bonfire (book review)

Hello, it's Reviewsday Tuesday, today it's the Quiet as Mouse Book Club And I am reviewing Bonfire by Krysten RItter. Bonfire was out last week and it's the first
book by Ritter Who is at the moment perhaps best known for
playing Jessica Jones in the Marvel Netflix  series. It's a crime thriller, and I haven't read
many crime thrillers But I really like Krysten RItter as an actress And I had read some good reviews of this book Which very much intrigued me So I wanted to read it as soon as possible. The story is centred on Abby Williams who
narrates the book.

She's an environmental lawyer and she reluctantly
returns to her hometown of Barrens in Indiana After a decade away in Chicago To investigate a company called Optimal Plastics. They are a large corporation And they are seeminlgly involved in everything
in the town And they may be contaminating the water supply,
which is what the investigation is about. The book is set entirely in Barrens And is concerned with Abby and her team's
investigation into Optimal, And a mystery involving her childhood friend
and bully Kaycee Mitchell Which Abby thinks might be relevant to the
case. I thought this was a really strong book, a
very strong debut.

It was extremely well plotted, I thought. There are an awful lot of strands which weave
in and out of each other And I think they're deftly handled. And it's an exciting, easy read, as well.
I read it over two days.

The chapters are very short and it has a lot
of pace. And I really enjoyed how it was written in
the present tense Because I don't come across that many books
that are written in the present tense. It really added to the pace and the excitement,
and it added jeopardy. Overall I was impressed with the construction
of the plot.

I would say that the ending felt a little
rushed. The very ending felt a little rushed. We're building up to something, but then when
the something happens The rest of the book is just a few pages. But I wouldn't let that put you off Because, as I say, I think the rest of the
book is very well structured.

There are a lot of difficult themes in the
novel. It's a very dark tale. There's a lot of corruption which is probably evident from the premise But there are also a lot of tales of abuse,
especially of young girls Which is really prevalent throughout, but
not gratuitous I thought. A lot of things are alluded to, or happen
off the page It's not just used to shock.

I thought Abby was a great lead character. She's deeply flawed and a very unreliable
narrator. She has blocked out quite a lot of her past And some of the plot comes from her remembering
things at convenient or inconvenient moments And that can feel a bit wearying or contrived. But I feel like RItter has a real talent,
evident in her acting work, Of delving right into a character.

Abby is very relatable and real. And there are other interesting characters
as well Even though they are much less explored than
Abby. We were far more distant from them because
of the nature of the book, We're seeing it through Abby's eyes, But I do feel like we got a handle on their
motivations and their personalities. I found the theme of trying to escape your
past whilst also Trying to understand certain aspects of it To be an interesting one.

I think we all have elements of our pasts
that we run away from or try to forget Which will make Abby's story relevant or relatable
to a lot of people And I really enjoyed the first part of the
book When Abby was becoming reluctantly reacquainted
with the town and the people in it. Although having said this, I feel like the
second half of the book was overall my favourite. Mainly because more headway was being made
with the case. The first half of the book is a whole lot
of questions But in the second half of the book we started
to get more answers Or possible answers Or things that might possibly lead to answers
in the future.

Which I found more rewarding, I guess. I liked Ritter's writing style a lot, it's
very descriptive. We learn a lot in a sentence or two about
Abby's emotions, Or a character's mannerisms Or what a place looks like or what the weather
is doing. And I thought it was an enjoyable style to
read as well It's quite rhythmic.

It has a nice cadence. So I'd recommend this book, I thought it was
a very good debut. I was impressed. I would say that it's perhaps not a book to
read when you're feeling particularly fragile.

Because the subject matter is challenging
and sometimes shocking. But I also feel like it's a very timely read It has a lot to say about power in relationships, And abuse of power, and corruption. I'm going to give Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
4.2 Out of 5. So that's it for today, I'd love to know your
thoughts on Bonfire if you have read it.

I don't know yet when my next book review
will be, Nor what book I'll be reviewing. I'm currently reading Crime and Punishment, But as with Bonfire, I might just randomly
review another book Before I get to my review of Crime and Punishment. But I will keep you updated. Let's move across to the end screen.

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see you later on in the week..