TW: Pedophilia, child abandonment



I went into The Best of Crimes with such high expectations. I had read the synopsis several months ago when a publicist reached out and asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing it, but had since completely forgotten what it was even supposed to be about. Turns out, I was in for a totally controversial bit of literary fiction.



Walter is a bit of a prodigy. A child genius, if you will. Before turning 20, he'd earned two doctorates and had a job in the legal big league. Within years, married with a daughter. His childhood had flashed right before his eyes, so watching his daughter and her best friend, the neighbor girl, grow up became a pleasant experience for him. But his relationship with his daughter's best friend begins to grow and blossom in a way he never expected. Which could mean trouble for him. 




This novel was surprising, to say the least. The writing was great, easy to understand, but not necessarily poetic, beautiful prose. Which is fine. I love a book that is easy to read; a book that I don't have to feel like an idiot as I read it. But here's the thing - the entire book is about a grown-ass man and his feelings for a pre-teen girl. It's creepy as hell. What's worse is his commentary. The novel is written almost solely from Walter's perspective. And he feels so proud of himself whenever he doesn't act upon his un-pure thoughts. It's sickening.






I want to compare The Best of Crimes to Bryn Greenwood's All the Ugly & Wonderful Things, but it's really incomparable. AtUaWT is written in such a fashion that is so heartbreakingly beautiful. There's so much more to the story than inappropriate relationships, but that's basically the only story in Crimes. I wanted to enjoy this book, but I couldn't get behind the subject matter. I'm seeing lots of comparisons to Lolita - many saying if you enjoyed it, you'd enjoy this one. (I haven't seen or read Lolita, so I'm no help here - but it does seem to be a general consensus.) Me? I just felt gross.





Goodreads rating: ★★★☆☆