The Crash | By Freida McFadden
Book Review | Mystery Thriller
My thoughts
Narrative and Plot
The Crash is a thriller told from multiple points of view, though we primarily follow Teagan and Polly. The writing is undeniably gripping and keeps the pages turning, making this a quick and easy read.
However, the plot is not the strongest aspect of the story. The payoff at the end felt unsatisfying, and many of the twists seemed to come out of nowhere. You can’t really outsmart the reader by building major twists around characters or events that happen entirely off the page.
Characters and Conflicts
Polly and Teagen are the central characters of the story. It felt as though the author was trying to recreate the hero and the antihero dynamic that worked so well in The Housemaid. Unfortunately, Polly isn’t a character I found easy to sympathize with.
Rather than feeling like a relatable person struggling through difficult circumstances, she comes across as unhinged. More importantly, she never truly faces the consequences of her actions. There are several issues I had with her storyline, but discussing them in detail would spoil the book.
As the synopsis suggests, the primary conflict revolves around whether Teagan will manage to escape her situation.
The story is fairly predictable. The pacing is slow for much of the book, only for several major developments to be rushed towards the end.
My biggest issue is that many of the most important twists happen off the page. The revelations happen off the page. The comeuppance happens off the page. As a result, the story never delivers the level of suspense or satisfaction I expect from a thriller.
Conclusion
I’ll admit that I picked up this book because of the hype surrounding it. And because the cover is absolutely stunning,
Unfortunately, while The Crash is an easy and fast read, it ultimately falls short where it matters most, If you’re looking for a truly memorable thriller, this is one you can safely skip.
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