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A review by daphrose
The Trap by Melanie Raabe
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one of those books that reminded me both why I love books and why I love thrillers. It is one of the first “fun” books I have read in months, given to me by an English professor whose basement flooded and left him with water-damaged books, this book among them (it was not unreadable, lucky for me!). This is by no means the “best book ever written,” but it is good. I stayed up late reading it because I could not put it down, so that must be a good sign.
To be clear: this is a PSYCHOLOGICAL thriller, not a CRIME thriller. The possible solutions to the committed crime are very narrow, and there are no great investigations. But existing in Linda’s head, seeing her reality, makes the reader question what the real reality is. Did she really see her sister’s murder, or is it just “Linda and her stories”? Does she doubt? Should she? Should the reader? Linda’s unreliable narration is revealed slowly, unsteadily, so the reader is never sure if her reporting of the events is true—neither does she. I love this kind of deep character building that dives deep into someone’s psychology. It can make you think. Is ethics defined to a single person? Is someone’s experience of reality real? This is one of those books that probes those questions, but it does not overdo it. You can merely enjoy it for the plot and characters as well.
Is this book perfect? No. There are a handful of translation difficulties, a few underdeveloped characters, and some cliches, especially toward the end. (I, for one, think the literary community is too harsh on “cliches”; I loved the end because it was realistic and summative. I have no complaints.) The “book-within-a-book” was a little distracting to me, and I found myself skimming it to get back to the main story. I appreciated it more than flashbacks, but I think it should have been incorporated better. It seemed out of place with the rest of the plot.
Overall, I really recommend this book. It’s a fast read, so what do you have to lose? It’s easy to lose yourself in Raabe’s world building and intriguing characters. This book left me questioning the truth, sympathizing with and despising (in the best ways) every character and their realities, formulating new theories each chapter, and enjoying every moment. If Raabe has any more English-translated novels, I will be there for them.
To be clear: this is a PSYCHOLOGICAL thriller, not a CRIME thriller. The possible solutions to the committed crime are very narrow, and there are no great investigations. But existing in Linda’s head, seeing her reality, makes the reader question what the real reality is. Did she really see her sister’s murder, or is it just “Linda and her stories”? Does she doubt? Should she? Should the reader? Linda’s unreliable narration is revealed slowly, unsteadily, so the reader is never sure if her reporting of the events is true—neither does she. I love this kind of deep character building that dives deep into someone’s psychology. It can make you think. Is ethics defined to a single person? Is someone’s experience of reality real? This is one of those books that probes those questions, but it does not overdo it. You can merely enjoy it for the plot and characters as well.
Is this book perfect? No. There are a handful of translation difficulties, a few underdeveloped characters, and some cliches, especially toward the end. (I, for one, think the literary community is too harsh on “cliches”; I loved the end because it was realistic and summative. I have no complaints.) The “book-within-a-book” was a little distracting to me, and I found myself skimming it to get back to the main story. I appreciated it more than flashbacks, but I think it should have been incorporated better. It seemed out of place with the rest of the plot.
Overall, I really recommend this book. It’s a fast read, so what do you have to lose? It’s easy to lose yourself in Raabe’s world building and intriguing characters. This book left me questioning the truth, sympathizing with and despising (in the best ways) every character and their realities, formulating new theories each chapter, and enjoying every moment. If Raabe has any more English-translated novels, I will be there for them.