Mystery Book Review - April 2020

Books read in April 2020.

Four books were read, four reviews were made, but which match together? 

It's the Mystery Book Review!
April 2020

(Scroll way down for the answers.)

The books in review from April 2020 are (read in this order, reviewed randomly):

After You by Jojo Moyes

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Book A:
I actually started  reading this way back in February. A group of English Literature students were reading it for a winter workshop and I joined them for a few sessions. With the corona virus outbreak in Seoul, the final meeting got cancelled and so I put the book down half way through. This break actually made me feel more familiar and invested once I picked it up again this month. I found myself excited to find out how things would turn out, especially since it would become more focused on the second generation. The writing is fantastic and thinking about the careful curation of words and ideas is what brings you into the story more than the initial glimpse of the characters. Later, it's the issues and representation that has you hooked. At some points I found the book slow, but then it would pick up again. Overall, an interesting read.

Book B:
I found this one a little harder to get into, but also incredibly impressive from a writer's perspective. It seemed like an impossible story to tell, never mind to tell well, but it was a calmly enjoyable read. At times, I forgot I was waiting to find out certain details, so when more was explained it was a welcome surprise and made me aware of just how intelligently this story was being told. It's not easy to set up plot elements that keep the reader curious without it feeling too contrived. The ending didn't disappoint and every conclusion seemed natural, or at least not over dramatised, which suited the story and characters well.

Book C:
I'm sorry to say, I didn't enjoy this book. In fact, it spurred many a rant about word choice and character development, to the point that one friend told me not to bother finishing it. It's not that it was unreadable with terrible grammar or boring language. The plot was dull, to be completely honest, and I didn't believe a lot about most characters. I know what goes into writing a full novel, it's not easy, and this was better than quite a few terrible books I've forced myself to finish. But it wasn't amazing and it didn't feel necessary. Such a disappointment when I'd come to admire this writer.

Book D:
From the start, this book excited and delighted me. It was easy to get into the world of the narrator and beg for more details and more secrets. There was plenty I was cringing at, but purely from an outsider perspective of wanting to protect the character. None of the writing made me lose faith in the story, in fact it surprised me and made me want to go deeper into the world. This book makes you think in great and terrible ways; the emotions are real.

Review order.

Book A: White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Book B: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Book C: After You by Jojo Moyes
Book D: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman