Luke Dumas

A History of Fear

shellybn

There are two reasons I did not score this as a 4 or maybe even a 5. The twist at the end was predictable almost from the very first page, so it was not the big shocker it was built up to be. Also, this is another example of an excellent book marred by the unnecessary injection of the author's political views. About 55% of the way through the story, the author went on an anti-Trump diatribe. I understand the book is set in the fall of 2016. I understand the author went to the University of Edinburgh, and probably had some very similar conversations in real life. I read to get away from political bs, and to have reality shoved back into my face in the middle of a deliciously macabre story ruined the vibe for me. This insertion of political commentary seems to be getting more frequent especially from young authors, and I do not know why editors let them get away with it. I don't need a political lecture when I am trying to relax. I am curious about the author's references to the Salem Witch Trials. The family name of the main character in this book is Hale, and Dumas' other book makes reference to the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History. Since both were names involved in the trials, it made me curious.