Snapshot Book Review: The Slap

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent both for content and for narrative design. The pivotal event comes early in the book, but its significance is never lost as its consequences unravel differently for each character who bears witness. The differences between the perspectives, beliefs, and lifestyles of each character are enhanced by Tsiolkas' decision to narrate each chapter from a different character's perspective. By the end of a chapter, that narrating character's motives and reactions become apparent, as he or she seems sympathetic in the eyes of the reader, even if the reader may not agree with that character's choices or worldview.

A wonderful telling of the intricacies and nuances of relationships and loyalties between friends and relatives alike.

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