I kind of feel like I wasted my time reading this book. Yes, it was a decent storyline, yes the author is a good writer. But it was totally confusing. The story jumped around so much from present time to past without you knowing it and it jumped from one character to another and sometimes it was almost a puzzle which character was being featured until you read a few paragraphs. I don't like working that hard on a book. I like a book draw me in and I get absorbed into the story, not spend most of the book trying to figure out what is going on and who is talking.

I think this could have been a really good book if the structure was different. Also, now that I'm done, I'm still totally confused at what really happened. I don't feel like it was wrapped up with a clear explanation. It's not like this is the first book of s trilogy.

I almost gave up several times reading it but I thought I would finish to find out what really did happen. Nope. Someone clue me in. Because if it was there, then it was really subtle and I didn't get it because I was having to concentrate so hard on who was who and how they were connected to each person and trying to just remember characters. I think the "flashbacks" should have been more obvious or maybe instead of short chunks of story, have the chapters be the voice of a different character with their name as the chapter so the reader didn't have to concentrate on who was talking. Just very disappointing. ( )

This was probably one of the better books I've read this year. The style of this book... a mystery slowly unfolding through the perspectives of several different characters... reminded me a bit of Carol Goodman's writing. The murder mystery and ghost story were comparable as well. In this way, I could also compare it to Testimony by Anita Shreve.

It's one of those books that just hook you. I didn't want to stop reading. The only thing that disappointed me was the ending. ( )

The Raising grabbed me from the first, beautifully written line. I'm a big fan of Ms. Kasischke because her chilling psychological thrillers read like literary fiction.

The unraveling of a number of characters' lives was gripping in the sense of inevitability, and yet, it was satisfying to see them gain a sense of acceptance and peace in the end. About a quarter of the way into the book I feared it might turn into a "vampire" story, but Ms. Kasischke is too talented to fall into a cliche. She creates an ominous atmosphere around the fear and the details of death that are hidden in western culture.

The characters are so well-crafted and the writing so elegant, a plot point that slightly strained credibility became insignificant. At first, I was disappointed with the ending as it seemed too ambiguous, but as the story settled into me, I realized it was perfect. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a literary psychological thriller. ( )

It really had me enthralled until the "conclusion", which seemed like a cop-out. I loved the mystery, the poetry of Kasischke's words, but it lacked resolution. ( )

**spoiler alert**
This book. THIS BOOK. I finished reading it at 11pm and my first instinct was to put my shoes on and take it across the street to the library drop box (yes I live across the street from the library, envy me), because this book! I had to get it out of my house immediately.

Okay, so, last year Nicole Werner was killed when the car her boyfriend Craig was driving went off the road. And of course she was blond and leggy and beautiful because that makes it much more sad than if she was fat and pimply faced. But anyway so she was killed in this car wreck and Craig was drunk or high, or whatever, but he was never charged with anything so now he's back for his sophomore year.

But oh wait, now we are back to last year. Because clearly someone took the chapters of this book, tossed them in the air, and then put them back together in whatever order they landed in.

And can I just stop right here to say what a great big pile of no this book is? Seriously.

But anyway so now people around campus have been seeing Nicole. In pictures, sneaking into their dorm rooms, etc. And Craig's roommate is taking a class about death and Craig is (obviously) depressed. And Shelly, the woman who came upon the accident, can't get anyone to listen to her and starts having an affair with a sorority girl, and ...

Ugh, I just ... Such a slow, tedious build up. Agonizing. And then [spoiler] it ends. I can't even ...

So minus one star for the mental anguish it caused me, and one because THIS BOOK HAS NO ENDING. Well, I mean obviously it ends, but it doesn't actually SOLVE anything. For serious. And minus another half because ugh, spoiled rotten, evil, over-privileged kids. ( )