I was really looking forward to this one, and I found it a quick and absorbing read. Very different from The Great Believers, and I wonder how dated it will feel in a couple of years—its themes of sexual assault, cancel culture, and true crime podcasts will likely tie it very strongly to these last five years.
I felt like Makkai was trying really hard to give the Omar character layers and dimensions so that he wasn’t just another black man potentially railroaded into a murder confession. I’m not sure how successful that was—the book feels strongest when it is centered on Bodie Kane and how returning to her boarding school launches her back into her past self.
I imagine this has already been optioned for a tv/film adaptation.