Thursday, January 14, 2010

All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

[description from goodreads]






Most of my thoughts on All Unquiet Things are based on the structure of the book- the way the points of view switch and how the flashbacks are incorporated. The book alternates between the points of view of Audrey and Neily, starting with Neily and changing every 100ish pages. Flashbacks play a huge part in the first half, while they disappear in the last half. I have a bunch of thoughts on how the structure affected the whole book, but I'll try my best to make sense in this review.

The flashbacks simulataneously slowed things down and added a whole lot of depth to the characters. They make up so much of the first half of the book that it feels like nothing but flashbacks for a while, and not enough of the promised mystery. Although it takes a bit to get used to the constant time switch, the flashbacks really help with the characterization of the characters. Carly came alive and as Audrey and Neily described their conflicted feelings about her, it was easy to see why they felt the way they did and why Carly made the choices she did. The flashbacks also allowed for exploration of some of the murder suspects and allowed me to make guesse as to who the murderer was, even though I was horrily wrong in the end. The real murderer was a complete surprise and when the person was revealed, I may have gasped because it was THAT GOOD.

It was hard for me to differentiate between the actual narrating voices of Audrey and Neily; they both sounded like teenagers who have been through a lot, but they sounded a bit too similar when narrating. However, I could easily tell them apart by reading their dialogue; when they spoke to each other, I knew exactly who was who and what they were feeling at the time. I could easily see the frustration and anger and sadness in them when they spoke to each other rather when they just spoke to the reader, which made it easier for me to see a relationship develop between the two. I liked that they did not really trust each other at first, but once they began to speak to each other more, they grew to trust each other and work as a team.

All Unquiet Things might have a slow beginning, but that's the only major problem I have. It's got a cast of realistic characters, a fantastic mystery, and a killer twist at the end. Highly recommended!

Links: Anna's website, blog, twitter, and the blog she shares with her agent

Book details: Delacorte/Hardcover/$17.99


  1. Can't wait until this come in at the library -- I keep seeing reviews of it, and I've had it on hold for a while!

  2. This book sounds really good. I really like how you say the actual murderer is a complete suprise, since I don't like it when it's totally predictable. I'll have to keep my eye out for this.

    I gave you an award :)

  3. This book sounds wonderful. thanks for the review; I'm adding it to my reading list pronto!

  4. just added to my to-read list. thanks :o)

  5. I gave you an award!

  6. Is this as good as 'Th1rteen
    R3asons Why'? It sounds a bit similar.

  7. Library: I think so. I don't remember much of 13 Reasons Why, but I don't think they're THAT similar. :D