Review: Black Out by Lisa Unger
by Jenners • 01/30/2010 • 3 Stars, B Titles, Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, U Authors • 11 Comments
2 Words that describe the book: Amnesia thriller
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:
- Setting: Florida in the far past, the recent past and the present
- Annie Powers—a devoted but isolated mother whose past is starting to catch up with her, despite her own best efforts to avoid it
- Ophelia March—the person who Annie used to be and “killed” but who just won’t stay dead until her past is dealt with
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:
- I liked the whole “what is real/what isn’t” aspect of the book. Annie often cannot tell what is real and what is an illusion and neither can the reader. This leads to fake-outs, red herrings and sudden abrupt changes in what you think is happening.
- I disliked the whole “what is real/what isn’t” aspect of the book. (Having deja vu?) Although it was kind of neat device, it often led to some confusion. I think the idea was to reflect what is happening in Annie’s confused mind, but it began to seem a bit too much at times. It seemed that everything in Annie’s life was called into question after awhile. At points, I began feeling unsure what I knew to be “real” and what wasn’t.
- I liked that the book alternated between three times: Ophelia’s life in the past, Annie’s life recently, and Annie’s current situation as she fights for her life. Unger does a relatively good job of keeping you on the right path, but I sometimes had to figure out where exactly I was. Unlike other books that jump back and forth, Unger does not provide any dates or time clues. You have to figure it out on your own. This might be annoying to some readers.
- I disliked that the characters never felt really fleshed out to me. This might be because some are “figments” of Annie’s imagination … or are they?
5 Stars or less for your rating?
I’m giving the book 3 stars. If you’re a fan of thrillers where the protagonist suffers from amnesia or blocked memories, this would be great read for you. You need to keep on your toes to follow along (at least I did), so if jumping back and forth in time bothers you, this book might be a struggle. Overall, I thought it was a decent thriller that kept me interested. I might read more by this author some day when I need a “don’t want to invest too much but I kind of want to read a thriller” type book.
Why and Where I Got The Book
I got the book from Paperback Swap and will be swapping it out again. I picked this book up as my U book for the A to Z Author challenge.
To find out what other book bloggers are saying about this book or author, visit the Book Blogs Search Engine created by Fyrefly’s Book Blog.
And it seems that our Show Me 5 Saturday hostess is missing in action since November so I thought I’d include a Mr. Linky with my post in case you want to hook up your own contribution. Hopefully, she’ll be back to blogging soon.
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That's too bad. I really liked Unger's first two books and would highly recommend them. Haven't read this one yet.
I love the category name you came up with: amnesia thriller! But I'm also in the camp that doesn't like those. I want it laid out straight!!!
leave it to you to like and dislike the same thing…lol
This book has been on my reading list for a while, and I haven't gotten to it yet! I had mixed feelings about her other books, which I reviewed a year ago:
http://lemondroppie.blogspot.com/2009/01/book-nook-my-favorite-time-to-read.html
I've never been that fond of protagonists with amnesia, with the exception of the Bourne Identity. You do make this book sound intriguing!
I listened to the audio book and liked it, but at times it seemed a bit confusing. Glad u loved this book Jenners.
I listened to this on audio a couple of years ago, and I would agree with everything you said here. It was a nice little mind trip, but I never had a real good grip on what was going on. Once I realized it was going to be this type of book, I just hitched up my skirts and waded through and didn't worry about getting it. I was actually pretty entertained, but I wouldn't classify it as a top thriller.
I'm not a fan of thrillers – wish this could have been a better read for you. My SM5 is up.
I often get mixed feelings like this about a book – I'll take it as 'a good & not so good'mix which maybe I'll tackle one day.
Sounds like you have mixed feelings about the book. I'll probably give this one a miss.
Just wanted to let you know I nominated you for the Kreative Blogger Award. Come check it out.