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Audiobook7 hours
The Smaller Evil
Written by Stephanie Kuehn
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
2.5/5
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About this audiobook
Sometimes the greater good requires the smaller evil.
17-year-old Arman Dukoff is crippled by anxiety and chronic illness when he arrives at an expensive self-help retreat in the remote hills of Big Sur. He's taken a huge risk—and two-thousand dollars from his meth-head stepfather—for a chance to "evolve," as Beau, the retreat leader, says.
Beau is complicated. A father figure? A cult leader? A con man? Arman's not sure, but more than anyone he's ever met, Beau makes Arman feel something other than what he usually feels—worthless.
The retreat compound is secluded in coastal California mountains among towering redwoods, and when the iron gates close behind him, Arman believes for a moment that he can get better. But the program is a blur of jargon, bizarre rituals, and incomprehensible encounters with a beautiful girl. Arman is certain he's failing everything. But Beau disagrees; he thinks Arman has a bright future—though he never says at what.
And then, in an instant Arman can't believe or totally recall, Beau is gone. Suicide? Or murder? Arman was the only witness and now the compound is getting tense. And maybe dangerous.
As the mysteries and paradoxes multiply and the hints become accusations, Arman must rely on the person he's always trusted the least: himself.
From the Hardcover edition.
17-year-old Arman Dukoff is crippled by anxiety and chronic illness when he arrives at an expensive self-help retreat in the remote hills of Big Sur. He's taken a huge risk—and two-thousand dollars from his meth-head stepfather—for a chance to "evolve," as Beau, the retreat leader, says.
Beau is complicated. A father figure? A cult leader? A con man? Arman's not sure, but more than anyone he's ever met, Beau makes Arman feel something other than what he usually feels—worthless.
The retreat compound is secluded in coastal California mountains among towering redwoods, and when the iron gates close behind him, Arman believes for a moment that he can get better. But the program is a blur of jargon, bizarre rituals, and incomprehensible encounters with a beautiful girl. Arman is certain he's failing everything. But Beau disagrees; he thinks Arman has a bright future—though he never says at what.
And then, in an instant Arman can't believe or totally recall, Beau is gone. Suicide? Or murder? Arman was the only witness and now the compound is getting tense. And maybe dangerous.
As the mysteries and paradoxes multiply and the hints become accusations, Arman must rely on the person he's always trusted the least: himself.
From the Hardcover edition.
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Reviews for The Smaller Evil
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
2.5/5
6 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was a pretty fast read but it was a little confusing. I can't say I didn't like it but I'm not fully sure what happened in the end. I think Beau accomplished what he wanted to with Arman but yet I'm not sure what it was he wanted from him. If someone fully understands, let me know! Haha!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I received this book as an uncorrected digital review copy from the publisher, via Edelweiss.
Arman sees himself as a useless, pointless kid, who causes nothing but problems for others. He has no friends, his mom and stepfather don’t want him around, and his father is in jail again. In this frame of mind, it is easy for a man like Beau to get in his head with promises of a better life. All Arman has to do is attend a week long retreat, and things will change. He will be a different person: a person he doesn’t hate so much. Things are great when he first arrives. Beau makes it clear that Arman is special, and can make big changes. However, the longer Arman is there, the stranger the “sessions” and the people become. Is Evolve the answer to his prayers? Or is it just the beginning of a nightmare?
(Mild spoilers ahead.)
The idea behind this book was a good one, and had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I feel that potential was squandered in an attempt to make a deep philosophical point that didn’t really come across. We have a teenage kid who hates himself and has no familial support, so let’s invite him to a retreat, set him up as special (compared to everyone else there), and leave him in the care of staff who are not only not on the same page as their leader, but resent the kid for being set apart. What could go wrong? The leaders of this retreat are supposed to be intelligent, evolved people, but the way they behave toward Arman (with the exception of Mari), is ridiculous. The story is convoluted and aggravating. I think the (non-parental) adult characters are supposed to come across as being intellectual, but they just seem pompous and arrogant. The ending of the book was anti-climactic and unsatisfying. I wanted to punch myself in the face because I chose to finish this book instead of reading something else. Maybe I’m stupid, and the whole book just went over my head, who knows? I just don’t see how this book is going to appeal to its target audience any more than it did me. I don’t like to give negative reviews (it’s like telling someone they have an ugly baby), but I take the responsibility of reviewing very seriously, so there you go.