A darkly beautiful work, written with skill and poise. Compelling, intriguing, I simply could not stop reading, I was addicted. The plot moves in turns with breath-taking speed and dazzling writing and then floats with elegiac weight. A mystery novel, an examination of the soul, an ode to living and dying, a thrilling piece of writing. Honey Rider is all those things.
Honey Rider is simultaneously frustrating and brilliant, but most importantly, it is a compelling read. The frustration comes from grappling a style of writing that is altogether new – yet still drips of Midwestern Gothic. It rings like music from a foreign place that takes time to fit into our ear comfortably – but once there it has found a home. The payoff is worth sorting through all 275 bits of information – the darkly seductive story of a young man on a journey to make things right or at least understand them for himself. The brilliance of Honey Rider is evident in the way the pieces of information are organized and disseminated to the reader. The 275 clues are dangled in front of the reader’s eyes, suspended by the bindings of honesty, and held in place by the author’s empathetic look at the characters that inhabit this complex – yet accessible world.
Honey Rider is a riveting novel that keeps you on edge from the very beginning. The main character's path is a dark and winding one [and we are] along for the ride. It is not often that a book such as this one comes along, which is in my opinion a real breath of fresh air among so many options out there today. This one truly stands out and stayed with me long after I finished reading.
I loved this book. It’s format is unconventional, but adds to the incredible pacing of the story. The author does a brilliant job of seating the reader in Henry’s experience. The story is told from Henry’s point of view and felt very cinematic to me as I read. After the perfectly disjointed beginning, a mystery begins to form. How did Honey die? We are introduced to a variety of characters, some ne’er-do-wells, others charmingly flawed. As the story unfolds, we learn there is much more to each of these people. Pasts are hidden by overt actions the author has expertly tailored to move along key points in the plot. With each new clue we are forced to question our assumptions about who each character really is. About half way through the story, the sense of dread begins to descend and I felt myself physically affected by it, hoping the answers to Henry’s questions (and my own) would be answered. I do not want to give too much away, but the story plaid out its ending in one of the most memorable ways I’ve ever read. This is a MUST-READ.