When the worldwide sensation Gone Girl was published in 2012, it took the literary world by storm. Since its publication, many other novels have tried to capitalize on its success by branding themselves as “the next Gone Girl.” While a few of these female driven thrillers have held up to Gone Girl, most of them fall flat. One the recent novels to fall flat is Christina Kovac’s new novel The Cutaway.
The Cutaway follows Virginia Knightly, a television news producer working in Washington D.C. One day, while preparing the broadcast, Virginia stumbles upon the story of a woman who has gone missing. Virginia, for some reason, feels connected to this woman and decides to investigate the case with the help of her news team and sources. She is soon caught up in the intrigue and politics of D.C. and must protect herself as her investigation takes a dangerous turn. I will be honest—I was excited for this book. But unfortunately, this novel fell flat for me.
One of the biggest problems I had with the novel was the weak character development. I understand that many authors choose to withhold details about their characters’ backstories. After all, that is part of building suspense. Unfortunately, Kovac teased a lot of hidden information about her character’s background, without ever revealing what actually happened. For example, she mentioned Virginia Knightly’s “rough childhood” in passing many times, but never elaborated. Explicitly stating how Virginia’s childhood was rough may have made it easier to understand her motivations for investigating the missing woman’s disappearance. Additionally, the lack of character development made it difficult to connect with the characters. Even when Virginia and the other characters were in mortal danger, or caught in a love triangle, I found myself very apathetic about how things would turn out.
A second issue I had with The Cutaway was how unbelievable the plot was. While it started out as something reasonable, it quickly veered off the road and became more about elaborate political corruption than a missing woman. One of the strengths of Gone Girl, and others like it, is that it is somewhat grounded in reality, making it all the more frightening and suspenseful. I didn’t get that feeling from this novel. The lack of believability extended to the resolution of the mystery as well. Some storylines wrapped too simply, while it was a stretch to wrap up others. It felt as though Kovac hadn’t placed enough clues throughout the novel to make the end add up.
On the bright side, I did like the character of Virginia Knightly. She was strong and smart, which is what I like in my female protagonists. I also liked the way journalism and mystery was combined. I think those two fields share a lot in common and blend nicely together. The premise of this novel was unique, which made it exciting to read. Also, this is Christina Kovac’s first novel, so she has room for improvement. She already has a second novel in the works, and will hopefully learn about what works and what doesn’t.
Overall, The Cutaway was entertaining, and I certainly don’t feel as though I wasted my time reading this book. It had a new and unique premise, which was welcome among the sea of Gone Girl imitations. It was a good read for taking a break in between studying for finals, and could make for a nice beach read this summer.
Overall Rating: B-