Generally I like unusual books and I was intrigued by the premise of The Disassembly of Doreen Durand; however, I must say it has to be the oddest thing I’ve read in a long time and I didn’t have a clue what was happening for a good portion of it.

The story has some pretty dark themes – depression, death and mental health issues – and the descriptions of an accident in the earlier chapters were fairly graphic which some readers may find upsetting or triggering.

I found it very difficult to understand the main character’s (Doreen) mindset and it was also hard to follow at times when the story jumped in time or switched character perspective. The supernatural elements also felt out of place within the story as a whole.

A lot of the secondary characters were generally unpleasant, including two very unprofessional police officers (one bordering on a stalker), making them hard to relate to.

The author really takes a blunt and brutal look at relationships and how individuals cope with trauma and difficulties in life.

I struggled to finish it – too weird, even for me, unfortunately!

Anything described as “strange” or “weird” would usually be right up my alley but this didn’t hit the mark unfortunately.

This is honestly not a long book yet it felt it. Too long you could say. The pages felt heavy and took effort to read. I’m a fast reader but couldn’t slog through and I stopped reading around 80% in,

Overall, it was enjoyable. I liked the prospect of not knowing where the read would take me and in turn liked that we travel to different countries. The descriptions and language is fun, with a unique cast of characters and several mysteries to solve.

This could be THE wacky and loveable read for someone. But maybe not if you like birds.

It's weird, engrossing and I don't know what to write as my impression changed more times.
The style of writing is excellent, the characters fleshed, the plot is tightly knitted but you are always left wondering if you understood correctly or it's just a reflection of your emotional part.
I recommend it but beware that this is a sort of trip.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Give this book a chance!!!

It may sound a bit strange and take you on a magical mystery tour throughout but it’s worth it all in the end

This was a beautiful story and one which I will treasure forever

The prose was observant and compelling, and the plot was strange and millennial.

"...saying anything with a degree of sincerity threatened to lead to true existential trauma and lunch was only thirty minutes."

There's a bit of every genre here, but not in a way that feels like a hustle. The best way I can give you a feel for this book is to say it's like one of those butters that sounds funky when you describe the eclectic ingredients to a friend, but is delicious and odd when you eat it. It's a weird butter.

"The brown of her irises peeled away to reveal only black."

I enjoyed it, even as I'm left feeling a little like Doreen by the end - unsure of of what's been experienced - but knowing it was one. An experience. There are scenes that remain indelible, and there's a part of me who wants to keep poking at them, smoothing the crumpled parts flat until I can feel the watermark and get an answer. Am I Solloway, the policeman, in this review? I think perhaps I am. Perhaps that's the whole of it. There is no unreliable narrator, only the unreliable reader bent on finding an answer where there is only what happened.

"Stability was only a series of latches that needed tightening, locking, and leaving."

Thank you to NetGalley and Sandstone Press Ltd for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.