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Split by Alida Bremer was my Kindle First Reads selection for December 2023...

I really wanted to love this book, but as you can tell from my (very rare) two-star rating, I just really didn't. The setting (Split, Yugoslavia in 1936) was extremely intriguing and the seaside beauty and sociopolitical complexity of that setting was easily the novel's strongest point. During the years leading up to World War II, apparently Split was a center for political refugees, such as Jews and communists fleeing persecution in Germany; however, it also hosted smugglers, spies, and fascists. As you can imagine, this caused a fair share of conflicts, such as the homicide at the center of Split 's plot.

Interesting, right? So what was the problem?

First and foremost, there was a whole slew of characters, but not a single one meant a darn thing to me. It was really hard to keep them all straight, as there was no actual character development to give them distinct personalities. Honestly, the whole book was very fragmented and lacked flow and it was honestly a struggle to keep reading--which is why it took me a whopping 24 days to get this book done.

In a nutshell, I appreciate the author's obviously vast knowledge of the history and political climate of pre-war Split; however, her actual storytelling left a lot to be desired.