Hi, all. This week I am reviewing One by One by Ruth Ware. I have been super excited for this novel to come out, so I had to read it as soon as it did. The synopsis for this book gave me And Then There Were None vibes, which is one of my favourite books, and it got me even more interested. My accompanying drink for this week is an A1, a simple cocktail that worked into my title for this post. I originally wanted to title this “One by A1” but I figured that made it a bit harder than usual to figure out what book I’m reviewing.
A1 Recipe
1.5oz Gin
1oz Grand Marnier
0.5oz Lemon Juice
0.5oz Grenadine
Crushed ice*
*Crushed ice is optional.
In a cocktail shaker with ice, add gin, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, and grenadine and shake for approximately 10 seconds. Then strain into a coupe glass filled with crushed ice and garnish with a twist of orange. The A1 is normally served without ice, but I decided to serve it on crushed ice. I’ve been extremely busy this week (I’m in the process of moving), so it was hard finding time to think of a special ingredient. But my lovely boyfriend came to the rescue and said “wasn’t the book about an avalanche? You should use crushed ice.” And there we have it. So, as always, you have the option to drink your A1 with or without crushed ice and it will definitely taste the same either way this time.
Speaking of taste, this drink was so good. I was a bit worried about this one because I’m not normally a fan of gin, but this was delicious! It’s just the right amount of sweet and sour with the grenadine and the lemon juice. Also, the gin wasn’t super strong except for a bit of a lemony gin after taste, which makes it perfect if you’re not much of a gin fan like me!
One by One Synopsis
Snowed in at a luxurious ski chalet in the French Alps? What could go wrong?
Well apparently a lot. As coworkers of tech startup company Snoop find out soon after beginning their corporate retreat to the mountains. Due to a looming buyout offer, tensions are already high among the shareholders when the retreat begins. But then, after one employee goes missing and an avalanche cuts the rest of them off from the village, the drama only gets worse. Switching between two narrators—Erin, the chalet host, and Liz, an ex-employee of Snoop—the novel tells the story of a group of people, one of whom is a killer, stranded in the mountains and being picked off one by one.
Review
“They think that life can’t touch them—just like I used to do. Only now it has. Now life has them by the throat. And it won’t let go.”
With strong Agatha Christie vibes this novel plays with the locked-room concept of And Then There Were None and, I think, does so pretty well. One by One is another great edition to Ruth Ware’s blossoming line up of Christie-esque mystery novels; however, I won’t be so bold to say it’s one of her best. While I haven’t read every Ruth Ware novel yet, the ones I have (In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10) are, in my opinion, better. But I still thoroughly enjoyed this novel.
The writing in this novel is good, as Ware’s often is. Since it’s a mystery novel, there aren’t as many beautiful and thought-provoking passages as some of the books I’ve done in the past, but it’s well done for the genre. Another plus I have is that it’s decently well paced and doesn’t get too dull. Which helped me tear through this novel in one day. One downside with the writing is that I didn’t see much difference between the voices of our two main characters. There were some differences in how they thought, but I wish Ware had switched up her writing style a little more to show a clear distinction without having to check whose chapter it was.
I did, however, think the characters were interesting, specifically Erin and Liz. I also loved Danny and his friendship with Erin. The two of them seemed realistic and relatable, and their friendship added a bit of fun to the novel. But, honestly, I thought Ware could’ve done more with the side characters. Specifically, Tiger, the zen yoga girl; Ani, the stupid girl; and Miranda, who only made me think of Miranda from Sex and the City (but I don’t really know why?). These characters seemed a bit cookie cutter and stereotypical to me and I wish Ware had done something more unique. Instead of zen yoga girl, stupid girl, serious girl, pretty boss girl, and frumpy girl, I want a girl with depth and diversity.
I, unfortunately, have a few other downsides with One by One. First, there was a bit too much repetition. I liked the use of both narrators, but I sometimes felt bored having to read the same exact situation over again in the eyes of the other person, especially if no new information was gained. Second, as with Where the Crawdads Sing, I noticed a few discrepancies that took me out of the story a little bit. Third, it was predictable. Way too predictable for a really great mystery novel. It was almost so predictable that I think it might have been done on purpose. The only things that made me think I wasn’t supposed to know quickly whodunnit were the attempts to cast doubt on others and the phrasing of certain areas. But I don’t want to say spoilers so I won’t go beyond what I just mentioned.
As a whole, I enjoyed this novel. It was a quick, fun, easy read. As I said before, I was excited about the Agatha Christie vibes of this novel and, despite my dislikes, I don’t think Ware did the locked-room theme a disservice. No one can live up to the master, but I liked Ware’s twist on things. She had other mystery and Agatha Christie elements that I liked and thought she incorporated well also. So, even though it wasn’t my favourite of Ware’s novels, it was a pretty good book in general. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Ruth Ware’s other books. But if that’s not your style or you just don’t want to read it, that’s OK! Regardless, I still suggest you try the A1 the next time you want a cocktail!
My Rating:
Thanks for reading! And, if you read the book or tried the cocktail let me know in a comment, on Instagram, or in person (if you know me). Also, if you haven’t yet read my previous reviews, I recommend reading The Black Shadows, The Perfect Guest List, and The Glass Hotel Nacional if you liked this one!
Teghann
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