karlislog

Fingers crossed?!

So, I only got hold of the book today, but still wanted to weigh in before the next book comes around. Just finished chapter three, and all of the (non-spoiler) things you've all said before seem somewhat valid. If you think about it that way, yeah, Ng's style is very "typically contemporary" or "MFA", but I feel that she brings enough originality into the writing that it becomes a non-issue. Since it's my first time posting here, I'll say that I'm a fan of contemporary fiction myself, and the author's style here is very reminiscent of the concise, yet vivid, illustrative style of, for example, Haruki Murakami. But what separates Ng's writing from that of, say, Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins and other authors of dark, modern mystery, is that she also embraces her similarities with, again, the likes of Murakami by banking hard on that visual imagery. From what I've read so far at least, she simplifies emotion to a degree that it becomes inherently visual, refraining from traditional delves into the inner thoughts of a character, or doing so via flashbacks. I also want to mention the sheer fluidity with which she juggles the characters' point-of-views; the fact that a debut writer can so masterfully control the third person is quite a spectacle to observe. Honestly, the end of chapter three almost felt as if watching the last five minutes of a cable TV show, where some emotional, yet relatable song is playing, we see what all of the characters are up to, etc. and that's not meant to be derogatory in any way. Will no doubt read the entire way through, may give some updated thoughts then, but all-in-all -- I'm into it.