Matt McAvoy Book Review

I was really drawn to the premise of this mystery, which is probably best described as “intriguing”.  Opening with an obviously heinous incident which is not revealed until the end of the book, we follow a flawed and obsessive individual as he tries to get to the bottom of the riddle behind his heroine’s demise, whilst trying to stop her diary falling into the wrong hands.  To be honest, whilst it was a genuinely pretty decent, gripping read, I felt it started to tail off more as the story unfolded.  By the end, the notorious act wasn’t really that much of a mystery at all.  Don’t get me wrong, The Oscar Goes To is a good, suspenseful drama, but honestly not a thriller, although it seemed to set itself up quite confidently for something which it then didn’t really deliver.  The notorious “act”, when it finally appears on the page, is something of an anticlimax, and its origins also not greatly surprising.  I felt the fundamental cause of actress Val’s breakdown – a mental collapse caused by a combination of factors – is explored in nowhere near enough detail.  Additionally, and on another note, I would have liked to see the crime aspect of the book given much more substance.

All that said, I did like the fact that the starlet Val is ambiguous and amoral, rather than simply portrayed as a broken victim; hers is probably the best development, as I’m sure Rob Santana intended.  Indeed, the characters themselves were perhaps the most layered elements of the book; by contrast, the development of the story, I felt, perhaps didn’t live up to its full potential.  To be honest, there could have been a great deal more grit, more pulp, more convoluted storytelling; a more complex backstory leading to the events.  The arcs of Val and Milton are somewhat simplistic, whilst at the same time that of protagonist Vic is explored a little too cerebrally, as it is arguably not the first priority of the reader.  We have a genuine mystery here, which is not really capitalized on, in favour of a somewhat patchy subplot involving the lead driving character.  Put simply, the book is too much about Vic, maybe the least relevant of the main characters, and not enough about Val.

But I don’t want to criticize, and give the wrong impression; it is absolutely worth a read.  Personally, I felt the “act” should have just been revealed from the outset, so as not to build up too much anticipation, and the rest of the book dedicated to exploring her mental health in respect of the things she endures, in the context of complementing and contrasting the questionable mental stability of her biggest fan, Vic.  The book does wallow rather more in the sordidness, and some of the sexual content is very coarsely referred to.  This isn’t an issue as such for me, though it may be for some, though I suggest it does seem to favour this approach to the detriment of a study which is more satisfying and nuanced.  My point is, in a nutshell, expect another sordid Hollywood tale, but not much more, then you’ll have yourself a good, entertaining read, delivered in a pleasing flashback format.