All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
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Book Overview:
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham tells the story of Isabelle Drake one year following the mysterious disappearance of her toddler son, Mason from his crib while she and her husband slept in the next room. Due to the case becoming cold following a lack of evidence and leads Isabelle begins speaking at true crime conventions sharing her story in hopes of inspiring additional information or an unknown witness that will break the case wide open and bring her son home.
It’s at one such event that she meets a true-crime podcaster who’s interested in interviewing her as he believes he can help her get answers. Reluctantly, she agrees. The combination of being sleep deprived due to ongoing insomnia following the tragic event and the podcaster’s probing questions into her past, her marriage, and events that happened the night of Mason’s disappearance Isabelle finds herself questioning what happened that night and if her past is repeating itself. Causing her to doubt herself and wonder if she’s to blame for all that’s happened.
My Review:
I was looking forward to this book since it came with high reviews and a high rating on Goodreads I expected a grand slam. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Due to complications with me becoming fully immersed in the story, not believing the unreliable narrator trope, and connecting with the main female character I was unable to enjoy this novel.
The writing style in which Willingham chose to use a high number of analogies throughout the story as well as rambling monologues delivered by Isabelle during pivotal moments in the story prevented me from achieving the immersive experience I prefer when reading. I felt disconnected and unable to care or want to continue with the story. Additionally, this writing style threw off the pacing making it feel clunky and clogged. Inserting Isabelle’s monologues and side tangents in key moments of the story took me out of the action decreasing the intensity.
Next, I struggled with accepting Isabelle as an unbelievable narrator and didn’t find this was well executed. My preference for unreliable narrators is to display their slow descent into madness as they cling desperately to their perceived truth while everyone around them paints them as problematic and crazy. Yet, they refuse to accept the truth as everyone tells them and double down on their version being correct.
I didn’t get this from Isabelle’s story. While yes her husband and a neighbor told her that her actions were questionable it wasn’t enough for me to buy her as an unreliable narrator. She was doing what any mother who had a missing child would do nothing seemed off or outlandish by her behavior. There were a few instances where she went off the rails but still not enough for me.
The sole basis for her being an unreliable narrator fell heavily on her past behavior as a child and her current insomnia. It was Isabelle’s self-doubt and questions about her behavior that built the framework of her being unreliable. Isabelle was questioning Isabelle and it just wasn’t enough for me to say she’s unreliable she just came across as crazy and wracked with guilt reaching at straws to make sense of a tragic occurrence. This again is consistent with what any mother missing her child would be doing it didn’t make her seem unreliable to me.
Next, I didn’t like Isabelle as a character. Her thought process didn’t make sense to me. She was slow to recognize the forest for the trees in many situations that seemed as plain as the nose on her face to me. I also didn’t like the decision she made regarding her husband’s preference on a specific concern where she essentially duped him and went against his wishes. I don’t know it didn’t sit right with me and made me look at her differently.
Also, painting the husband as the bad guy writing him as manipulative making Isabelle a poor innocent victim, and not allowing her to acknowledge her part in many decisions and actions that were made were frustrating. They both played a part in the events that transpired.
Additionally, the convenience of the “clues” and “reveals” and how everything played out I felt was a bit too easy. There was no way for Isabelle to make the assumptions that she made from the basic clues she was given.
As for the ending, the final twist uncovering what happened the night of Mason’s disappearance was a shock that I didn’t see coming. But, the fallout of what happened again excluded Isabelle from facing any consequences and led back to a familiar narrative. I felt the final ending sequence was unfair and didn’t hold up since there were no satisfactory conclusions regarding the reason things ended the way they did. We get allusions as to what may have happened but they all seem thin and not enough to make me agree with how it all ended.
Unfortunately, this didn’t work for me and my expectations weren’t met. And I’m so disappointed that it isn’t an instant favorite for me. I’m still interested in giving Willingham’s other novel A Flicker in the Dark and fingers crossed I’ll have a better experience. Maybe you’ll have better luck with this one than I did or if you’ve already read this what were your thoughts? Let me know!
To see the other books I read in September check out my September Reading Wrap-up.
