I think I enjoyed this book, though my mind isn't totally made up about this yet. I found the style of writing unsettling at times as for the most part of the book the different parts of the story were not linked in any way, the links only came in the last part of the book. I think overall I found it too improbable and disjointed to make it an easy read. There were no hooks to draw you forward and although you felt that the characters had to be linked in some way, the way they were linked just didn't seem overly plausible. I bought this as I often buy books that I end up enjoying immensely- it was on sale, ($1.99, how could I refuse?) and I liked the cover; once again, I successfully proved the old adage wrong. When I read in the blurb it was about tattoo shop workers trying to catch a killer, I was sold. I always am down to watch some douche crash and burn writing about the tattoo world. With schadenfreude fully engaged, I began reading...and was shocked that I was impressed. The writing was of a much higher caliber than what I anticipated. Equally as important, this guy actually knew his shit. It was beyond well researched, it was an insider's perspective, quite clearly. I confirmed this thanks to my trusty sidekick, affectionately referred to as Google. With this knowledge in hand, I decided to support this author, tell all my friends, etc etc.Now, onto the book: It starts as a pretty standard slice of life piece-Mike the tattooer and his two friends have lived through some shit. As a result Mike knows love hurts, and love is mean and its easier to be alone-until, urged by his buddy, Doc, and some obvious hints from her- Mike asks out the new body piercer at the shop.At that point things begin getting weird. The story enters the realm of magical realism, and hangs there fir a while. It begins to venture forth into full on urban/dark fantasy and then makes some sudden left hand turns into horror, all the while incorporating some standard thriller conventions.Over all, this literary menudo works, but there were several times I wished that Davis had broken up these elements and had written a couple different books instead.I really loved the characters, and the cremains ink story. I'd have liked to see the burgeoning love story of Mike and Deb, and seen the cremains tattooing continued in the magical realism vein. I'd like to see a fleshed out story of Lamar and Rani, focused on how a relationship can survive extreme cultural differences and familial opposition. While I really liked what I read, there was a bit too much going on, and the story suffered for it in end. And yet, it was a lot of fun, and I made quick work of it, while ignoring my actual work, which is definitely the sign of a good book.And he only uses the word "tat" twice, and it is only in dialog from nonmajor players. Thank gods/science.
What do You think about Guter Schmerz (German Edition) (2012)?
Not what I was expecting, but really enjoyed it. A nice change of pace from my usual reads lately.
—Mmaaiirrii
Really interesting read, although the subject matter was disturbing in some ways.
—Sara
Pretty good theme & characters. Would have preferred a different ending.
—pandamanda0613
No words can describe how much I loved reading this book.
—Kerli
