The Sinner: A Novel (TV Tie-In)

I bought this to read before USA aired the miniseries. I think things always get a little lost in translation with a IS reprint and release so there are some odd language and cultural things. I think it interferes with the subtleties of the novel because you’re reading trying to figure out if you missed something because it’s foreshadowing or being implied or you’re missing something because of the language translation, etc. When I finished reading I didn’t feel settled because of the content and also just because I tried so hard to stay focused on my understanding. I didn’t end up watching the series past the first episode so that’s unfortunate. I wonder if I would have liked it better had I not read the novel.

The book and the television show were similar but different. I like both very much. The book st you guessing at times. I like this author very much. Unfortunately her other books are not in English. Good story plot.

Disturbingly good read. The portrayal of a persons prolonged psychological abuse and descent into (madness) is haunting and on another level sadly fascinating. The Sinner oft subconsciously reminds the reader how the human mind is a fascinating storehouse of memories, both good and bad, and how those memories can be distorted by trauma and time.

I only recommend this to someone who can tolerate another unreliable narrator premise. As well as sinking into filthy, lurid, darkness now and then. You have to be in the mood for that sort of thing or else this kind of book could just leave you depressed and icky. With that said, I couldn't put the book down! I enjoyed it for the most part, but the ending was a little underwhelming. I was chilled to the bone by this thriller for 80% of the read, and I enjoyed that very much. I honestly read this book after seeing the trailer of the tv adaptation. The trailer looks extremely ham-fisted in comparison after reading this book. I think this might be due to German vs. American views on sex and deviancy.

I read this book in anticipation of the television series. After reading this book, I did not bother to watch the series. The plot of the book is improbable and highly unlikely. Cora and Phoebe are not realistic and because of this, they do not come across as sympathetic characters. There are much better psychological thrillers on the market.

The book was good and kept my interest. There are some parts where I got confused but I think that's the way it was written because of the character. Did not see the ending coming. Suspenseful with crazy turns.

This was unfortunately a book that was picked to read for a club I belong to. After about 2 chapters, I knew it would be a hard one to get through. Not only was it confusing but very morbid! I did not care for this book at all!! The only reason I struggled through it was because of the club, it will not get a good review there either!

Cora Bender is so physically and mentally damaged; from an abusive childhood and from her early forays into trying to find love as a teenager. She struggles to leave behind the quilt and neglect that her religious fanatic mother who blames Cora for her sister Magdalena's poor health. She struggles to understand her hapless, sexually deprived father with whom she must share a room with. She learns to love and accept her doomed sister, but she can't save her from her fate. She becomes a troubled teenager that was so deprived , she steals and hordes money and treats. And she looks for love and that is disastrous. Five years later, she is married and has a son and she has lost or buried her pain and suffering behind a mental amnesia. Until, she loses it on the beach and stabs a man to death. Who was he, why did she do it, was it her fault. All questions the Detective must find the answers too. Lots of lies and twists and turns. .

I actually liked the tv series better...if I hadn't been watching it on tv, I might have been totally lost. The main character seems much different as well...really didn't like her as much as the one portrayed in the television version.