Kinder Than Solitude
I would have never read this book had it not been a book for club book and I know I wouldn’t have finished this novel had it not been for book club. This book was different. I couldn’t get a firm grip on what was happening in the novel as I read it and it frustrated me. I couldn’t follow the storyline as individuals flowed in and out, and situations arose and then quickly vanished. I saw individuals leaving behind their families for hopes and dreams. I saw individuals who were losing their friendships. These individuals were trying to fit in, yet something within them made them feel less than whole.
There was the past and the present, a twenty-year span, where times have changed but things in the past were never forgotten. Someone had poisoned Shaoai, the one who always spoke her mind, yet no one was charged for the crime. It had to be one of them, for the four of them lived together in the compound. She had laid in a coma, all of this time, the four young individuals are now adults and what are their feeling now about Shaoai? I felt I had a handle on Boyang, he was now a successful businessman, but perhaps his success influenced my opinion. The other two, I could never get a handle on.
The conversation that Boyang had with Sizhuo, I found this quite interesting. Interesting, as the two of them prodded and baited each other along through so many different topics, I wondered when it was ever going to end. It was crazy as they tried to get inside each another’s head yet they tried not to give too much of themselves away, in the process. Not a great novel for me, I found some parts that I was able to follow and enjoy but to solve the mystery, I didn't care.
