Narration by Susan Bennett
Being a huge fan of twisty and unique plots, the blurb for Sunburn caught my eye. So, though unfamiliar with the author, I decided to give it a shot. Well, true to the blurb, this story certainly was full of twists and turns, though I’m not sure there was a ton of overall glue to the twists and turns – and be prepared to suspend your sense of reality. Though the journey was somewhat entertaining, as it kept me guessing, the way the story turns out, coming together in the end, and in particular given that there are really no likeable characters in this story, left me sort of scratching my head as to the author’s true message. Please also note that this is a mystery/thriller title, not romance.
In a story where everyone has their own, sometimes secret motivations, two strangers meet passing through a small town in a local tavern. Polly states she’s just passing through, as does Adam. However, they both end up staying, finding jobs at the tavern, and developing a relationship that they keep hidden from others. Just what is the truth behind why each has found themselves in the small town of Belleville? And what secretly drives Polly’s and Adam’s desire to get to know the other? Do they truly love one another, or are they just using each other for other means?
Moreover, when one of the employees at the tavern dies in a fire, old secrets start to surface, leaving all, including the small town’s inhabitants and other players who watch from afar, questioning whether it’s murder. Slowly the truth starts to come to light but Polly and Adam nonetheless refuse to reveal the whole truth to one another. Will it be their relationship’s undoing or is it all part of a longer game?
Susan Bennett does a decent job of narrating Sunburn. Her slower reading rings true with the smaller town feel. Moreover, she’s very good at translating the disdain and skepticism which abound in this story.
The one area that I would have liked more was in the distinguishing of characters voices. A lot of this story takes place in the minds of the various characters (not just Polly and Adam but also a number of other secondary characters), by using only one narrator it becomes necessary to rely on dialogue tags to know whose thoughts you are listening to throughout the book.
Moreover, the way the book is written there are also dialogues intermixed, and Ms. Bennett only marginally changes her voice when reading different characters’ parts, making it difficult to know who is talking. In particular all of the female characters and male characters tend to sound pretty similar.
All in all, if you’re a fan of thriller titles like The Girl on the Train by Paul Hawkins, this title might be for you.
BJ
Buy Sunburn by Laura Lippman on Amazon
