Perfunctory Affection

by Kim Harrison

• ISBN10: 1596068965
• ISBN13: 9781596068964
• Publish Date: 31 March 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 7 July 2021
• Imprint: Subterranean Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

I had no idea what I was walking into with this story. I’m a huge fan of Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series. Jenks is still my favorite all-time sidekick. I tried her new series, and I liked it, but didn’t love it. I was very interested in seeing what she came up with next. I really enjoyed it.

So, I like to go into books fairly blind. I did no more than skim the few reviews that I’ve seen for this book. I wasn’t even 100% sure what genre this falls into. Even after reading it, it is hard for me to put it in a genre. I think would say, a psychological thriller with a hint of science fiction.

Meg is our main character. She suffers from severe anxiety and PTSD. She struggles doing much of anything out and about with people. She is seeing a psychiatrist that puts her on a drug that really seems to be helping her.

I don’t want to give you much information, because I think going in not knowing much about Meg or even the story is best. It does take a little bit to get into the story, because you don’t really know what is going on with Meg. But if you like twisty thrillers and are willing to give the story some time, I think you would enjoy it.

Narration
I love Traci Odom. I’ve listened to her narrate several books over the years. I was very excited to hear that she was narrating this book. I knew she would do it justice, no matter what the genre. After listening to her narration, I think she was the perfect narrator for this book. She really brought out the difficulty of Meg. I really felt for Meg and the difficulty of her life. The voices of both the male and female voices were well done.

**I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda]

2.5 stars

*I received a free audio copy of PERfunctory AfECTION from Tantor Media. This has in no way influenced my review which is honest and unbiased.*

This story was very strange, to say the least. And Meg was such an unreliable narrator I still have no idea what was going on... Grieving, she was in a bad place, and she was participating in a drugs trial. Those drugs may or may not have made her hallucinate.

I did not really enjoy the narration - and the story was very confusing because Meg wasn't even sure herself what was happening, and what was real and what wasn't.

[kimbacaffeinate]

PERfunctory AfFECTION was different. An unreliable narrator and events that unfold will leave the reader pondering what they have just read. Some will say horror, some will say psychology thriller and still other will declare it fantasy or paranormal.

I am not going into any details, because I went in blind and I think it is better that way. When I first met Meg I wasn’t sure what to think. She obviously has some issues. She lost her mother and has some PTSD from a car accident involving her boyfriend Austin. She suffers from depression and teaches art at the local university.

The tale began rough for me, but slowly pulled me in. I struggled a bit trying to figure Meg out and that made it hard to sink into the story. Don’t expect to like her. She feels needy, unsure and at times childish in her mannerisms, but there is an unlying strength that emerges.

Part of the problem was the narration, which I will get to next. Once, Meg befriended Haley I was hooked. The story reads like a psychological thriller with a fantasy or supernatural vibe. It all depends on what or who you believe.

Traci Odem narrates and as I stated above I initially struggled with her narration. On reflection, I think the disconnect was me trying to settle into the story and identify with Meg. Around the 25% mark I had no complaints with either the story or the narration.

Depending on your perception at the end of PERfunctory AfFECTION there could be another book or it was one heck of an ending. Either way, it is one you will reflect on, talk about, and conjure. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Perfunctory Affection through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Perfunctory Affection is the newest novella from Kim Harrison. It explores the concepts of love, perfection, life, truth, and understanding. It’s a heavy but fascinating read, delving deep into anxiety, depression, and delusions.
This novella lands somewhere between a science fiction horror and an individual’s journey to understanding what’s happening to them. It has a touch of fantasy as well, which I personally appreciated.
This is nothing quite like any of Kim Harrison’s other works, and that’s okay. I enjoyed it anyway – though if I’m being entirely truthful her name being on the novella is the main reason why I became curious about it to begin with.


Warnings: This novella delves deeply into the mind of a woman who has gone through a significant amount of trauma. She doesn’t always know what is real, and because of what has happened to her she does have some phobias and anxiety to deal with. The subject matter frequently hits close to home, especially with how Kim Harrison portrayed the human nature of it all.
Perfunctory Affection was nothing quite like anything I’ve read, and I mean that as a positive thing. It stands out on its own, this new tale blending different genres into something new. I really enjoyed it, even if it did make my skin crawl at times (in a good way, I promise).
Kim Harrison’s portrayal of Meg was so well done; it caused a litany of emotions to pour out of the pages. Megs is confused, she’s passionate, she’s talented, she’s lost, she’s struggling, she’s trying to get better. These are all different versions of Meg, while also very much being the same person.
Throughout the novel Meg’s grasp of reality is constantly put into question. It was eerie at times, and downright disturbing at other points. To make matters more disturbing, we’re never given any concrete proof about which reality is the accurate one. We never know for sure if all of the hallucinations are truly that…it was brilliantly done.
I’ll admit that I cringed at the idea of a medication that made permanent changes to the brain so quickly. It sounds so terrifying and risky. You’d think that with something that strong they’d want the patient to be under more supervision – but then again maybe you need to be in your normal surroundings for it to have the ideal effect. It’s still a disturbing thought though.
I loved all the questions that rose up over the course of this novella. I had so many theories as I read along, and I can honestly tell you that in truth none of them were proven or disproven in the end. I kind of like that. I love that while the story was very clearly wrapped up, there were still questions to be asked.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks