Review: Second Life

Second Life by S.J. Watson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For such a long time I have been contemplating ‘Before I Go To Sleep’, unsure as to whether or not I wish to read the book. Everyone seems to love it, yet such a thing always leaves me unsure as to whether or not I should jump on a hype. Thus, when I saw a Goodreads giveaway for ‘Second Life’, I decided I would give something else by the author a try before I read the book that left everyone talking.

To be honest, if Second Life is an indication of what I can expect from S.J. Watson… well, I’m not sure if I wish to read more of his work.

Based upon the other reviews I have read, this book is not the thriller offered in ‘Before I Go To Sleep’. Having not read his other book, I cannot make the comparison. What I can say, however, is that it is not the thriller I was made to believe from the synopsis and the quotes plastered across the book. I was promised a fast-paced thriller. I was promised edge of the seat moments. I was promised it all, only to be given less than everything. It was an interesting read, yes, but it far from being the best thriller I have ever picked up.

The large majority of the book was slow. In fact, all of the action seemed to unfold in the last couple of chapters. Now I love build-up. In fact, I always want a decent amount of build-up. Yet there is a line, a line that should not be crossed. When this line is crossed, the story goes from having build-up and slips into a drama. Such is what happened with this story. There was promise at the start – a mysterious death, question marks over the past, possible dark deeds through the internet – yet things quickly slipped from interesting to the mundane. We watched someone’s life unfold without any real drama. Events were supposed to be interesting, but it seemed more like watching someone’s midlife crisis. Rather than acting out as some lone investigator, our character seemed to slip into a role that was not their norm. This, of course, explains the title. They created another life. This life, however, was not interesting. It was just a way to live out a fantasy – a fantasy that didn’t quite live up to what she had wanted.

Had I not been waiting for all the action of a thriller, I probably would have enjoyed the book more than I did. Sadly, the book seemed to drag. I was constantly waiting for that something more. Then, by the time the more came about, I was no longer interested. I’d grown bored of waiting for answers. I’d worked things out. I admit that motives were unclear, but I had the who aspect worked out. Truthfully, I could have read the first and last part of the story and filled in the middle bit myself, coming up with something much more interesting.

Overall, it wasn’t what I had expected. I really had hoped for more. Nevertheless, I’m glad I won this. Maybe one day I will decide to give Before I Go To Sleep a go, I’m just not pushing it up my list after reading this one.

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