In theory, The Fury by Alex Michaelides has everything needed for a perfect, five star bingable winter read. Unfortunately, when all those wonderful elements were put together, the book fell a bit flat.
Unlikable characters can generally be saved by an interesting plot and twists and turns that keep readers at the edge of their seat. The twists and turns that I was so looking forward to after loving The Silent Patient didn’t quite materialize. They just did not have enough “Oomph” behind them to make up for the cast of unlikable characters. Much of the dislike for these characters stems from the unreliable narrator of the story. Repeatedly being told that the narrator was unreliable took away from the immersive experience as well. Each time it was mentioned, I was dragged right back out of the story and was only able to focus on the fact that not one character had a chance to be well rounded.
That being said, the narration style did lend itself to creating an atmosphere on the island. Every once in a while there was a glimpse into what the story was meant to be, a thrilling mystery. When those moments happened, usually when the island was being described, it was a breath of fresh air.
In conclusion, I just can’t recommend this book when Alex Michaelides has the Silent Patient available, which is just so much better of a read.
⅖ stars
Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Novel Llama 