The Last Equation of Isaac Severy was not at all what I expected. It is advertised as a murder mystery with lots of clues to follow, but it turned out to be mostly a dysfunctional family drama with just a little bit of mystery thrown in.
The family drama was the majority of the book, taking up almost every part of the first half and most of the second half. Because I don't normally find that sort of topic to be interesting, it was really hard to keep my attention in this book.
The chapters alternated between following the main character Hazel, her brother Gregory, and her uncle Philip. For the first half, other than following seemingly random occurrences in these people's lives, it doesn't seem like anything was going on. It didn't help that they were all unlikable characters. Hazel is extremely sensitive, constantly doubting herself when it came to her grandfather's regard for her, and throwing herself at guys in a way that comes across as awkward and desperate. Philip is self-important, sensitive to not having his father's respect, while also denying his daughter the same approval he so desperately craves from his own father. And Gregory acts like a borderline stalker, among many other issues.
I feel all this would have been evened out if the mystery had been awesome, but it was... really odd. It was so far-fetched that it required a suspension of beliefs almost to the level of science fiction. There were so many "come on!" moments that it was hard to stay focused in the story.
This was really a case of what I got didn't meet my expectations at all. I think if you go in expecting a mostly dysfunctional family drama with some elements of far-fetched mystery, you'll probably like it more than I did.
Readaroo Rating: 2 stars
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