Started reading a novel yesterday by a new-to-me author. Was sucked in by the jacket copy promising one of my fave plots–black sheep goes home to face the past. And I liked the writing right away. This author can tell a story.
But I didn’t finish it. In fact, I put it down after a couple of chapters when it became clear this book was the third in a series. It’s not that I mind reading series books. I don’t. Not at all. If I really like something mid-series, I’ll go back and read the earlier ones. And it really doesn’t matter which order I read them in.
Or it shouldn’t.
The best series (I’m thinking Kinsey Malone and all the other mystery series I read and love) can be read in any order because each story is also complete within itself. Like every good novel, there’s nothing extra in there, no pointless fat in the plot.
For whatever reason, nameless series X author decided to run through every major turning point in her past two plots in the pages of the current plot. It ruined my reading and I put the book down in disgust. At first I was fine when she gave me a bit of background on the other characters. That’s normal and expected. But do I have to know the entire backstory of every character in the novel? No, not unless it directly impacts the current action.
I think this author felt comfortable including all the backstory from former plots because there were parallels to the current story, and there may have been some psychological impact on the current character’s inner conflict. Not a good enough reason IMO to drag a new reader through what is basically boring exposition. What a way to yank me out of the continuous dream. And get me to put down the book. And make me wary of ever reading this author again.