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Caitlin Wahrer's avatar

I know you're going to be like "I can't use that!!!!" but WHAT BOYS LEARN is legit sparking envy. I think it's how quickly I feel connected to and interested in the narrator. There's a lot more about the book that I love (including how naturally the plot is flowing and tension is building), but I think my connection to the narrator is the part that's sparking envy: you've made it look effortless!

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Deborah L Williams's avatar

Envy . . . I envy writers who can deftly execute plot twists. Whenver I try that I feel like I'm in a giant old station wagon trying to do a three-point turn. For sheer sentence beauty: Shirley Hazzard. But in terms of thrillers ... well, is Ministry of Time a thriller? It's one hell of a plot twist, and so clever; Tana French, of course (but that's like saying I envy Simone Biles: ridiculous).I've been learning (trying to learn) to let envy be a driver, not a paralytic. Easy to say. . .

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