Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: One of the TN R.E.A.D.s prompts for September is to read a translated book.

Overall rating: Religion, death, disappearances, and water polo. Confused yet? I don't know how much of it was the actual book and how much of it was the translation (there was most certainly something lost in translation) but I struggled with 'Dissolved.' I wanted to like this book so badly. It also might have been easier in a physical version versus the audio version so I could see the transitions and the breaks between sections. I did have to read this one a bit more sparingly, I wouldn't call it a binge-able book - at least not the first half.

Struggle aside, 'Dissolved' is packed with content, there's a lot of moving parts and pieces, but once you get a hold on who is who, what part of the storyline they are coming from, and how they fit into the greater picture, it gets a lot easier to enjoy the book. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't until about a third of the way through that I felt like I was understanding what was going on. And then it seemed like the climax of the book was glanced over and we went into full-resolution mode. I had to rewind and make sure I caught it correctly because it was so much of an anticlimactic climax. I don't feel like I could recommend 'Dissolved' as an audiobook with the English translation. Maybe the print version is better?

Reader's Note: 'Dissolved' includes themes of religion (Islam and Christianity), religion used as a weapon, death, murder, and torture.