Thriller Books, Bad Reviews & Synchronization
Have you ever held someone’s hand and walked out of sync with them? It feels disjointed, even jarring.
Like dancing, walking hand-in-hand requires a certain amount of connection, a certain tuned-in-ness that if missing, makes for an uncomfortable experience.
When Thriller Books Don’t Thrill…Whose Fault Is It?
We all go through reading slumps. When we find it hard to read there are a few possible reasons:
- We can’t find a book that resonates.
- We’re stuck in anxiety or depression or another mental health issue that leaves us too tired to concentrate.
- We’ve been reading too many similar books.
Whatever the reason, it brings up the age-old question: Is it me or you? You being the authors at large unable to tempt me to keep reading more than three-quarters of a book without giving up.
When we’re in a reading slump we miss the time when we’re not. We miss great stories. We miss being transported to our happy place, that little slice of time when everything around us falls away. Retreating into the pages of a great book.
We miss feeding our curiosity and puzzling things out. If reading fiction is as beneficial healthwise as meditating, then we all can pat ourselves on the back when we crack open our latest novel, right?
Often, authors are blamed for what their books lack. Often times they should be. But not always.
Listen to people discuss books and you’ll hear some variation of these things.
- “I got lost in the middle”
- “The author rushed things”
- “I didn’t like the main character”
- “It was too slow/fast/boring/confusing, etc.”
Is it always the author who’s to blame?
I say no.
Here’s why: Next month I could love the exact book I put into the DNF pile today. Now just wasn’t the right time for me to read it. Or I wasn’t in the right frame of mind.
It’s not the author’s fault.
Now, sometimes it IS the author’s fault. Like when they disappoint every reader who picks up their book by promising and then not delivering the story promised.
Or by shoddy writing or poor editing.
But today, we’re going to assume the author did the best possible job that he or she could, and produced a book that’s gotten some solid 4-star and 5-star reviews but that you, as a reader just didn’t connect with.
Readers, Authors & Synchronization
Like walking while holding hands with someone you love, reading is a partnership. It’s a strange, multi-time-zoned partnership to be sure. One where the two real people involved rarely meet in real life.
It requires certain things from the reader: imagination, patience, and the ability to keep up with the details.
It requires certain things from the writer, too: organization and clarity, and most importantly, the ability to tell a captivating story that transports a reader into their imagination.
When the process runs smoothly, it’s a beautiful thing. Then, you’ll hear more things like this from readers:
- “This book was excellent.”
- “I loved the way the author fleshed out the characters — they felt like real people to me.”
- “The setting that the author created was so real I felt like I was really there.”
So, if you’re not enjoying the new thriller or suspense novel you picked up, maybe it’s just not the right one for you right now.
Should You Leave a Bad Review?
When we aren’t connecting with a book — or even leave poor reviews of it like this reviewer did of my novel, Silence in the Woods — we have to admit that part of the blame falls on us as a reader.
A synchronized relationship only works if the two people involved want to connect. Like riding a tandem bike, the author and reader take the journey together.
If as a reader, we decide to hop off mid-spin, we can’t blame the author if the bike veers off the path and into a tree.
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to reading fiction. Honestly, I’m surprised we don’t experience more disjointedness in our reading pastime.
The best thing to do when facing this? Take a break. Put down the novel and try something else. Or go for a walk, spend time with your dog, or clean the cupboards. Or try a new novel, maybe in a different genre.
There’s no shame in not finishing a book, even one you paid for.
Just don’t leave a bad review of an author’s work until you’ve had a chance to ask yourself, “Is this really a bad book? Or am I not in the right space to enjoy it right now?”
Authors everywhere will thank you.
J.P. Choquette writes suspense books set in small towns and remote forests that “turn pages, not stomachs.” These atmospheric novels often have themes of nature, art, folklore, and psychology, and tend to be slow-burn thrillers.
Learn more by visiting her website, www.jpchoquette.me or find her on Instagram @jpchoquette_author or Facebook.
