Critically So

Shut Up And Dance

★★★★★
Five out of five stars for this great book. I can see all the hard work and effort put into it.

Author: Sam_le_fou

Genre: Mystery

Review:

“Best Mystery book I have ever read. Brilliant.” These were my first thoughts after finishing the "Last movement". I clearly remember the theme being explained in the preface and even though I didn't forget it, the perfect way it was weaved into the very last part of the book, was a pleasant surprise.

The plot and settings were used very well to create the world, emotions and conflicts of the characters. It was almost too realistic.

The characters in Shut Up And Dance aren't good or bad. They're all shades of grey and who the reader relates to is entirely up to them. These characters are unique and each is great in their own way.

Henry White — the most vulgar, despicable man ever. Those are the words I'd use to describe him. So, if I dislike this character so much, why did I even bother mentioning him? Exactly because of that. The fact that I find him so detestable makes him a wonderful character in my mind. As the protagonist, he is expected to face a bunch of challenges on his way, overcome them and live happily ever after. However, this does not happen, making him more 3D. The further we read, the more of his past is revealed. His addiction to Daydream makes things worse. At some point, I thought he was the one that killed Murray and Clara. Zacky is put under Henry's care, despite his addiction. We are led to believe that he will recover from his addiction and raise Zacky, yet he has a relapse and dies soon afterwards. All this and the things he did to Linda and Zinet, makes him so despicable that by the end of the book, the little bit of pity I had for him, is gone. To me, he acts as both the protagonist and antagonist in his own story since everything that happened to him, was his own fault.

Zinet Geber. The most brilliant character ever. Portrayed as the quiet, sweet, ill wife who obeys her husband in complete bliss, Zinet successfully misleads the readers. From the beginning we are told that she never leaves the house, only has two friends and that Henry refuses to give her the only consolation she wants in this world — a child. At first, this doesn't seem to be such a big deal since Zinet is always acting so happy. Henry's descriptions of her paintings however, immediately changes the readers' minds with a sense of foreboding. The once colourful, bright works of Zizi is no more as she recently started to only paint in black. When she dies, we are ultimately sad and want her back. Later, the reader is truly shocked and surprised by the truth about Zinet's accident and realises that she never was the submissive girl we thought. Hence, she is my favourite character.

I won't say much about grammar and language, since I didn't find much that could improve.

The choice of title is questionable until the author explains in the preface that Shut Up And Dance was chosen because it sounds like an order to do and obey. This is very creative and not only suits the story, but the main theme as well.

Not only do I love the author's effort of thoroughly incorporating the theme of control into the story through Henry's obsession with power, Graham's constant thoughts about being powerless and of course, the Daydream drug, but there's so much more to this. The author has written this book so well that I was truly caught up in it, as if being addicted to it, just like it was intended.

If you love Mystery books, if you're looking for a thrill, something different that will make you stop and think, then what are you waiting for? Go read this book!