The doubt factory

My reaction after finishing this book: Sooooo what the heck was that?

I have been a fan of Bacigalupi's work ever since I read Ship Breaker and The Drowned Cities . I loved how both of those novels took the dystopias that we had all seen before and managed to make them the darker and grittier versions that I think made them fresh and new. So when I saw The Doubt Factory at my local library, I could not help but pick it up and begin reading it. I didn't care that I had a low rating on Goodreads, after all, so did the other two books I'd read by him, and I loved them. Sadly, this is one of those times where the majority is correct. This book is a run of the mill thriller with cardboard characters and a creepy romance that makes me wonder why the author thought this was a good idea to begin with.

Let's start with the plot of the novel: it is about a cliche and boring as you'd expect it to be. Every twist and turn that was there I saw coming pages ahead, and it ends exactly how you think it ends. If you've read or seen any TV show or film with a similar premise, then you will be able to figure it out too. This is just sad because I really felt like this could have been something actually good, with a commentary on how companies and scientific studies actually do put out conflicting studies related to health and wellness products. However, here it is delivered in such a harsh manner that I cannot believe that this was written by the same author as the other books I read and loved. Ultimately, this book was just predictable plot wise.

Then there is the romance. I will say this, I have never found a story I like where the main character is supposed to fall in love with the creepy stalker. Instead, I usually find them unbelievable and just stupid. This novel does nothing to change my mind.

In the end, there is nothing of value here worth reading. I am still going to check out his other books, but I think that this is one you should skip. I give it a two out of five.