What Did I Just Listen to? Bits & Pieces: a Mind-Numbingly Brilliant Thriller
Hopefully that review title intrigued you. Because we’re about to explore Bits & Pieces, a novel written by Dawn Hosmer.
I listened to it on audiobook (though I also own the paperback), and WOW. What a novel.
Let’s start with a clear CONTENT WARNING. Bits & Pieces contains incredibly graphic scenes of sexual violence. Read (or listen to) this novel at your own risk.
Bits & Pieces follows Tessa, a young woman with an extraordinary gift. This is one of those novels where reviews really shouldn’t give away specific details, because this book’s narrative relies on its twists and turns. But I’ll do my best. The story begins with Tessa’s ordinary life, complicated by her insane gift. She wants love and companionship, but her mind won’t let her experience those to their fullest extent.
And through Tessa’s gift, she’s thrown into a whirlwind of an adventure where she uncovers the truth about particular crimes throughout her community… but will it destroy her in the process?
Listening to Bits & Pieces on audiobook, I enjoyed the witty writing and focused first-person POV, all from Tessa’s perspective. However, the narrator’s pacing was inconsistent throughout (though one particular chapter stands out as significantly better than the rest). The narrator was good at giving Tessa personality, but sometimes she lacked in giving voice to other characters. And sometimes, words would cut in and out at different volumes.
The critiques of the narrator aside, Dawn Hosmer’s words draw you in through every chapter. Just enough suspense, just enough characterization, just enough style to keep the words moving at a pace deserving of the story.
If you’re looking for a psychological thriller exploring the human condition through a novel lens, Bits & Pieces is for you. I usually don’t like thrillers of this style, so the fact I enjoyed Bits & Pieces should say quite a bit about its gripping and compelling nature.
Writing: 9/10. Excellent voice and POV.
Characters: 8/10. Loved Tessa. Other characters were good, but they were overshadowed by Tessa.
Setting: 7/10. Typical small university town, nothing special. It worked well for the story.
Plot: 10/10. Every word mattered, every word drove the story, every character fit in perfectly.
Overall: 8.5/10. Round that up to 9 and we’ve got a clear 5 stars!