Book Review: "Indiscretion"

 "Indiscretion" by Charles Dubow

I have such mixed feelings about this book. I've waited a little while to review it, because I've been trying to process what I think about it. I was hoping I would lean more toward a firm "loved it" or "hated it," but I'm still sitting somewhere in the middle.

The main way in which this book excels is that it makes you want to keep turning the page; it makes you want to read the next chapter. This is important to me, because I hate reading books that don't give me a sense of urgency to find out what happens next. This book definitely does that. It's not a murder mystery or crime novel, but it reads with an element of suspense.

On a less positive note, the story as a whole is lacking. There is nothing unique about it, except maybe the ending which...(semi-spoiler alert) is tragic. I keep trying to figure out what point the author was trying to make with this book. The best I can come up with is: We face consequences of the bad decisions we make, and sometimes the ones we love and never meant to hurt are collateral damage. This is nothing revolutionary; I knew that before reading this book.

There are holes in the writing. The largest is the narrator's in-depth knowledge of everything that happens throughout the story. The author tries to explain how he knows all of these things, but it doesn't work for me. There is also a lack of character development. The author makes every attempt to explain the characters, but I never really felt like I knew them, therefore I did not really like or dislike any of them. And although I didn't really connect with the characters, there were times when I just couldn't picture the people doing what they did. Actions came out of nowhere; there was a disconnect.

There are some beautiful passages and lovely scenes of places I cherish, including Paris. I enjoyed envisioning an idyllic summer in The Hamptons. And overall the book flowed well, but I just wanted more.