Review: Five Survive by Holly Jackson

A Holly Jackson read has been on my list ever since one of my book club friends professed her love of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. That one’s been on my list for a while, but seeing as I’m, dismally, the only person left who hasn’t read it yet, we turned to another Holly Jackson to read for this month’s Book Club Pick^tm.

I was expecting excitement. I was expecting drama. I was expecting to read this all in one sitting. And honestly, I got all those things! It was fast-paced (for the most part), the characters are dynamic as individuals, and the structure of the book kept me going. Particularly since I was reading this in the middle of a 25-year flood combined with a nasty tornado-infested thunderstorm.

The book is segmented into hours, so the clock is literally ticking down on the situation this group of friends finds themselves in. At first, that lends itself to the reader belief of “well, they can just wait out this out until sunrise.” But as the hours pass on, it becomes almost a deadline. That kind of tension switch is hard to pull off, particularly while maintaining stakes!

Would it hurt, or would it feel like relief, when the bullet finally split her open?

Speaking of the stakes, I did find that part of the book a tab unbelievable in a left field kind of way. What I mean is: the stakes are hinted in the beginning and you think “that can’t possibly be the reason for this” and then lo and behold, it is. Keeping spoilers to myself here.

How the characters dealt with the situation at hand was mostly excellent, with some missteps. There are six main characters, plus two antagonists outside the RV. The six main characters are introduced in rapid succession in the first chapter of the book. It feels SUPER overwhelming, but try to stick it out. After about three chapters, the characters really start to differentiate themselves (and honestly if you can get the hardcover version that has the descriptions of the roles the characters play on the inner dustcover, that helps a LOT).

Yeah, that sniper won’t know what’s hit him when I slowly charge at him with my Gillette razor.

There’s our main girl: Red. From the beginning, she’s clearly dealing with some trauma and desperately needs therapy. There’s this bit where she’s trying to figure out what pattern the curtains remind her of which is never resolved and it drove me bonkers. I can’t imagine what it was doing to her. She’s smart, though, and that comes into play later.

Next up is Red’s best friend: Maddy. She’s trying her best to be a good friend to Red, in the clumsiest way possible. But she has a good heart. She’s also incredibly impressionable which makes for some interesting dynamics.

Maddy’s brother, Oliver, is the hate-able one. From the get-go he’s the arrogant mansplainer and frankly, doesn’t get better. He decides he’s in charge because he’s the oldest *man* and anyone who knows anything about the patriarchy can guess how that goes.

Oliver’s girlfriend, Reyna, is just… kind of there. She contributes to a red herring which was a great plot device as well as character development, but otherwise I was a bit disappointed in her character.

Arthur is the inevitable love interest. I was pleasantly surprised there wasn’t a whiff of love triangle and this romance plotline is crush-level at most (except the end. *sigh* we’ll talk about that later). He’s a pretty active character and an interesting, almost foil, to Oliver.

Lastly, there’s Simon. Who’s drunk all the time? And that’s his only personality feature? Not sure why he’s in the book, TBH. Comic relief?

“Oh, cool” Simon said, between bites. “Didn’t know the Mafia was still a thing, I love The Godfather. ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold,'” he said in a dreadful Italian American accent.

Spoilers Begin

So let’s talk about that end, shall we? I was absolutely flabbergasted in the worst way possible. Let’s put on our feminist glasses (as if they were ever off)?

In the end, Oliver dies out on the road. Good riddance. He was a nuisance the entire book and was actually a positive sign of “male dictatorship lands you in bad places.” Love that for him.

However, when everyone goes back to the world, Arthur, our wonderful covert mafia assassin guy, decides to shoot Maddy and Oliver’s mother?? Under the guise of “protecting Red and doing the thing that would make her feel better”?? My dude.

You just joined the longest line in all of history: the line of men who do terrible things in the name of women they “love.”

No, this was not for Red.

Do not bring her into your guilt.

You say you broke your stance of never killing anyone for her, because it was “the right thing.” Did you ASK HER?

The answer is always no, folks. Always.

Also, can we discuss quickly the secret that Reyna and Oliver revealed? This wild story that Reyna was cheating on Oliver (likely because he was lowkey abusive) and Oliver randomly met the other boy, not knowing it was him, and “defended Reyna’s honor” by punching him so hard he died??

Let me tell you, y’all. This book had it all.

Spoilers End

In terms of a feminist grade, this gets a C. There could have been a lot more nuance and discussion around the WILD stuff that went down, but in terms of what we got, it wasn’t the worst.

In terms of overall enjoyment, solid three stars! I did read it in one sitting, on the edge of my seat, surrounded by thunder. Will it stick with me and make me think or meaningfully impact my mood? Not really. But it was enjoyable while it lasted.

What if I said you were the right people, in the right place at exactly the right time.