Riding in on the coattails of the recent psychological thriller rage, Unbecoming received lots of hype and recommendations, which in my opinion may have done it a disservice by raising reader expectations. And while it is not a bad read, it is not "another Gone Girl." The idea is good but the execution is lacking some really basic elements like suspense, interest and pace.
In the beginning there is Julie, an American living in Paris under an assumed name supporting herself by restoring art. Julie has lots of secrets, she is on the run trying to dodge possible arrest after planning the burglary of a small town art museum. And she is afraid of her boyfriend conspirators finding her. So right away you think you're getting into some sort of suspense, but then Scherm begins the unfolding of that story and begins another one that is replete with adolescent angst. We meet Grace of Garland TN (who is Julie in France) and so begins the teen love story, which is slow, uninteresting and unbelievable. The story of Grace discounts the story of Julie so that her actions don't really make sense.
In reality, this book may have been a big hit if it had been sold to a YA audience. If you like Fault in our Stars type books you may like this too.
No comments:
Post a Comment