City of Dreams Danny Ryan #2
Reviews
First of all, Don Winslow is one of my all time favourite authors and I won’t ever not pick up one of his releases because his style and the gut-heart-organ-wrenching stories he weaves with his characters are just perfect for me. I never know what happens next and that is a unique selling point for an adhd-brain who has read too many stories not to see where some plotlines are going.
This installment, loosely seen as a retelling of the odyssee (which is so fascinating to me, honestly, because you can see it, but he doesn’t hit you in the face with it every other page), does suffer under second book in a trilogy syndrome somehow. I know, it does fit the odyssee retelling part again, because a lot of that is waiting and suffering, too, but while I imagined this to pick up right where we left off not only in terms of plot (which he did) but also in regard to tension, it fell a little bit short for me. Where I was heartwrenchingly involved in the plot of the first book, not knowing which character I hope gets his HEA and which doesn’t deserve it (let’s be honest, none of them do, but what are we if not absolutely biased as readers), this book left me hanging dry a bit because while I was intrigued, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next blow to fall and push all of the characters closer to their own personal misery.
It's still a good book, for sure! And it does leave me incredibly anxious for the pain waiting in the final instalment of this series, because that’s going to be pure agony and I know it.
But there was just this bit of a spark missing that I love so much about Don Winslow’s other works.
Highlights
“Come on,” she says. “Loosen up. It’ll get you into your head.” “I wouldn’t go into my head,” Danny says, “without a flashlight and a gun.”
I would advise taking some blades and some kind of assault rifle before venturing in mine, too.
Not that guy to get up in the morning, check your investments and go golfing with doctors and lawyers and stockbrokers. The only thing that could improve golf is snipers. Then those guys wouldn’t wear those stupid clothes, and it would sure as shit speed up the game.
I would 100% watch golf in that - and only that - case.
Purgatory is the more realistic goal, hell a sad but distinct possibility. Maybe Martin did receive the last rites, so perhaps he’s skated through. Take him, Lord, he did what he had to do to live in the world that You created. No offense to Yourself, understand.
Ooh, but please do take full offense, though.
The wounded, they understand failing, they understand losing.
No one really knows why damaged people find each other. But they do. There’s an attraction of pain to pain, a magnetism of hurt, a mutual recognition that creates a haven of understanding. With that person, you don’t have to explain why you’re down, you don’t have to hear “suck it up,”you don’t have to pretend to be happy. The other damaged being just understands.
🖤