Book #15 The Line Painter

Title: The Line Painter
Author: Claire Cameron
Pages: About 220
Final Grade: C+
Buyability: 3/10
Status: Owned (freebie) but since given away to charity

Review: Hmm well I just wrote my Harper Collins review for this (another freebie yes) and I had mixed feelings that mostly slanted towards negative on this book. I didn't hate it, so a C+ feels like a bad grade, but it wasn't a particularly good book, it had no WOW factor for me. Basically it's a short book, with short tense chapters to try and build suspense in what I felt was a rather unsuspensful novel.

The main character is named Carrie and she is reeling from the fairly recent death of her boyfriend - or perhaps moreso the guilt she feels at their last exchanges prior to his accidental death. She jets off on a road trip and her car breaks down when a mysterious stranger offers to help her out on an all-night excursion to the nearest town, made slower by the man's job of painting the lines on the highways. What happens from there is a comedy of errors I suppose - Carrie finds the town she ends up in totally bizarre, as are the people and has encounters with bears, police officers, hotel clerks, and the man that drove her to town in the first place. It's only when she finally finds an escape from town does she realize what she's been escaping grief-wise, and what she's been missing that's right in front of her face.

I guess all throughout the book I was like okay...where the hell is the suspense part of the suspense novel? Seriously. After the first 20 (very short - some a few paragraphs long) chapters I was kind of like, okay it's misrepresented, she's obviously in good hands. While I can't say that is true, and therefore the book kept me guessing as to whether or not any drama *would* show up (and it does, but it's kind of ho hum). If anything I was more interested in the grief sub-plot than what was happening in the present day thrill-seeking events of Carrie's road trip.

I can't say I recommend this book, but it was a fun reading experience. I actually finished this book over the weekend in about two days because it was quite well-paced and speedy to get through. Just not my cup of tea because it lacked that something extra.