A realization

I read the first run of Crossed and honestly wasn’t impressed. I figured the family of three being rape being murdered was gratuitous shock value splash art gore porn and that the rest would follow the same suit.
But I’ve realized as I finished it that it’s actually a very compelling, or rather a very human story.
Without the ridiculous shock pages, it’s no different from say Happiness (2021) a Korean movie that naught as well be crossed without the actual cross pattern forming.
I’m currently reading through crossed: wish you were here,m, and finding I like that even more. The prose is legitimately great at times such as the “mystery mystery mystery” segments during his flashbacks.
These books are way more then they’re presented to be on the surface and I regret not giving them a chance in the past.