How To Build A Boat - Elaine Feeney
Somewhere around 40% through this book I debated whether I was going to finish it, and I only stuck with it because it was short enough that I knew I wouldn't be with it for much longer.
It's not that I hated it or even really disliked it, I just found it all a bit uneven and remarkably dull in places. The chapters from Jamie's point of view I found to be particularly frustrating, as I just couldn't bring myself to care about him and found his mannerisms annoying. (What does it say about me, as an autistic person, that I've struggled with the two novels on the longlist that feature neurodiverse characters?)
I am glad that I stuck with it and finished it. There's a distinct uptick in how good this is once the titular building of the boat begins to happen, because it gives the narrative some focus that was sorely lacking in the first half. I was also deeply invested in the burgeoning relationship between Teas and Tadhg, and I honestly would have preferred them to be the focus of the novel at the expense of Jamie.
I think ultimately it's all sketched just a little too thinly for my tastes. I didn't get much of a sense of who the majority of the characters were, and aside from the aforementioned relationship I didn't really care about anything happening. It's a very pleasant read once it gets going but I likely won't think about it again after publishing this review.