The Unwilling
By John Hart
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Ebook Available from WV Reads!
3 Stars - A rare, slight disappointment for me from John Hart. This dark story is half coming-of-age tale and half historical-ish murder mystery. Set in the south in the 1970s teenager Gibson French and his cop father try to solve the murder of a local girl in very separate, different ways. Hart's excellent storytelling skills are here but I honestly wasn't enjoying the story much. But I like it had more to do with my taste in plot lines.
I can list all the things I expected and usually like from a Hart novel that fell just short here. Gibby isn't a very likable lead nor is is brother or father. There's anti-heroes and surprising heroes out there but I found it hard the first half to root for any of these guys. Usually I can feel the North Carolina setting but this story seemee like it could have been set in any small town. And finally the mystery took so long to really present itself and got so violent. He transitions well from sweet swimming holes and flower fields to ominious nights and criminal hideouts. But neither grabbed me.
The 70s are not my favorite fictional time period. This is the decade my parents grew up in. It's too recent for me to find it fascinating but I wasn't born yet so I have no nostaglia for it. Hart struggles with writing strong and likable females here, the women are particularly unrelatable. The mother is a neurotic jerk in most scenes that I found unsympathetic. And the girls are basically enjoying the braless, wild world 70s America had to offer them. They aren't very bright or sweet or supportive. I'm not much for prison stories, which was a lot of the second half. Everything got a bit convulted toward the end. The thread of the plot I found most intriguing and held strong for me was Gibby's relationship with Jason. His desire to support his big brother despite his mistakes, the bonds between siblings regardless of age difference. This book is simply not for everyone, and it turned out to be not for me. There's a lot to enjoy for anyone really intrigued by the unique plot and the heart Hart infused into it.
(NS)
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