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I feel like Hugo is a bit more focused on his plot in this book, compared to Les Misérables at least. He has some good tangents in there nonetheless, and very entertainingly sarcastic ones at that!

As with the beloved Brick, Hugo shows himself in The Hunchback of Notre Dame to be an expert at crafting tragedies that feel unearned yet entirely inevitable. The catharsis is strong!

I particularly enjoyed how the Hamlet elements were woven in well enough for me to recognise what they were, while still keeping the story decidedly not-Hamlet, and not relying on the familiar features despite leaning into them.

The "past" storyline of the narrator is also incredibly intriguing, and plays out very effectively. The use of second person, unusual for novels, is also very effective

Overall, it may not have sucked me in completely, but it was certainly an enjoyable read and very well crafted.

A very light murder mystery with a high cose-factor. The writing style is very casual (more than my general preference and bordering on unpolished), but the plot is well paced and the reveals are surprising without being too unexpected. It definitely feels like a self-indulgent project for the authors, but I don't think that's a bad thing. It's a cute, comfy Kiwi mystery, and fits that brief very well.