A book like the Hangman's Daughter makes me think that I could write a bestselling novel. That being said, it was really easy to get through and I guess I stayed somewhat engrossed, but I have many issues with it.
First of all, the character Jakob Kuisl started off really awesome, especially with that prologue that gave you an understanding of his trauma associated with being a hangman. But that's practically where his characterization ended. I would have expected him to be this stoic, introverted guy that has a soft side, but by the end, he was just this suave, cool, friendly guy. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but it just seemed cheesy.
Then there's the fact that the 'suspense' wasn't really a suspense at all and I figured out (as you all probably did or will) who the culprit was. So you're basically waiting until the characters figure it out. And it's not like it's that exciting of a twist or anything, even if you didn't catch on to it.
This also reminds me of what my mom always says about Indian movies, that after all the action is done, the characters verbally explain to you what just happened, as if you didn't get it through all the action. The dialogues are so cheesy and childish like, "Oh my god, so the mastermind of this operation was you all along! I had no idea!"
Anyway, I feel like maybe I should write a suspense novel that isn't that suspenseful or interesting and maybe I can give up my astronomy career and make millions off of some sub-par novel.
Speaking of which ... why is this book named The Hangman's Daughter?
Vaish, I agree, this book was LAME-O. I didn't figure out who the culprit was ... but it didn't matter, because it was some irrelevant character that wasn't connected to the story in any way, so it could have been anyone from the Bergher's, and it wouldn't have made a difference. That's the worst thing in a suspense, when it doesn't even matter who the murderer is in the end, ha!
ReplyDeleteAnd I was soooo irritated by every scene having some sort of 'the man followed behind slowly,' and the author not revealing who the man was ... only to tell us three scenes later. Both the midwife, and the hangman's daughter figured out (towards the end) what the sign on the children's body meant ... but both characters passed out before they could tell it to us, the audience. You can use that technique once, but twice?!
The book sucked. It wasn't awful, bc I wanted to get through it just to see where it went, but it was lame.