Book 24: Who By Fire

Who By Fire by Diana Speichler

I thought the premise of the book sounded interesting, but when comes right down to it, I didn't like the novel very much. The characters were just way too over the top for me, especially Monica and Bits. I started out liking Bits a lot, but as the novel went on, she just got a little bit too out of control for me. Ash also just seemed too naive and rigid, especially in his interactions with Monica. It seemed like if he'd just told the truth to people, things would have worked better for him rather than trying to be as secretive as he was. Their mother was the most relatable and understandable character, as she falls under the thrall of a con-artist after being alone for years.

Apparently I'm the only person that reacted to the novel this way. I picked it up after seeing it highly recommended on another book blog, but I just couldn't really get over the annoyingness of the characters to find their good sides. As far as novels that deal with families falling apart as a result of a tragic incident, such as the disappearance of a child, I much preferred The Lovely Bones.