Wednesday 1 November 2017

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter (Thriller, 8/10E)


 7th November 2017, Hutchinson, 288 pages, Hardback, Review copy 

Summary from Penguin
Nothing burns as bright as the truth.

It has been ten years since Abby Williams left home and scrubbed away all evidence of her small town roots. Now working as an environmental lawyer in Chicago, she has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and her pick of meaningless one-night stands. 

But when a new case takes her back home to Barrens, Indiana, the life Abby painstakingly created begins to crack. Tasked with investigating Optimal Plastics, the town's economic heart, she begins to find strange connections to a decade-old scandal involving the popular Kaycee Mitchell and her friends—just before Kaycee disappeared for good.

But as Abby tries desperately to find out what happened to Kaycee, troubling memories begin to resurface and she begins to doubt her own observations. And when she unearths an even more disturbing secret, her search threatens the reputations, and lives, of the community and risks exposing a darkness that may consume her.

With tantalizing twists, slow-burning suspense, and a remote, rural town of five claustrophobic miles, Bonfire is a dark exploration of what happens when your past and present collide.
 
Nayu's thoughts
I'm used to fast paced thrillers, so the only reason this thriller read gets a lower grade is because while mysterious the first two thirds of the story were quite slow, almost slow enough that I stopped reading, but since I wanted to know the truth I kept going. I also didn't really know who Krysten was because I don't watch the shows she is in and simply don't keep an eye on the tv/film industry.

 I'm glad I did because the plot twists are big, even if I did guess what was going on before it was revealed. Aside from the stoey speed I really enjoyed it! (I should have reread the synopsis before reading the book - it has the story noted as a slow-burning suspense! I clearly wanted a fast paced read when I read it. However My grade and view remain the same, because I would like the story to have sped up a bit (or just had extra bits in) to focus more on the atrocities that go on) I enjoyed the mixed emotions Abby has revisiting her childhood home and town. Not much seems to have changed, and yet it kind of has since she has grown up and has a different view on life. Her old classmates seem nicer, but could they be acting that way? There are big question marks against every person she meets, which was a fun addition to the story. 

She has a lot of issues with her dad which play in her mind a lot, she is determined there is something sinister going on but her own work colleagues don't believe her, which makes her doubt herself until the answer stares her in the face (and eventually her coworkers). The dark goings on are topics I've read about before, but that makes them no less disturbing. There were a few moments when I was scared for Abby's safety, but it does end happily (sort of..), well, the end is very satisfactory for me! Because of the slow speed of the plot I won't be rereading it, but I highly recommend it! 

Suggested read 

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