Pick the Lock by A.S. King [Book Review]

Discover why Pick the Lock by A.S. King is a must-read! Read my review and find out why I couldn’t put this captivating book down.

I don’t even know where to start. Seriously, Pick the Lock by A.S. King is one of those books that left me with a head full of thoughts and no clear way to express them. But here goes—let’s start by saying that it’s about isolation, growing up under the thumb of an ultra-controlling parent, the blurry line between truth and perception, shapeshifters (yes, really), and, oh, punk rock operas. So again, where do I even start? Well, what I do know is that I could not put this strange, haunting, and completely wonderful book down. Learn more about the story and why I gave the book four out of five stars.

What is the book about?

Jane’s mother is an artist constantly on tour to earn a living and support the family. While her mother is away, Jane lives in a Victorian mansion with her younger brother and their controlling, mendacious father and aunt, both of whom have conspired to confine Jane and Henry’s mother to a system of pneumatic tubes whenever she’s at home. Pick the Lock follows Jane’s bizarre and brilliant journey to rediscover and reconnect with her mother through punk rock and opera. [Goodreads.com]

My thoughts:

This book is exactly why I love diving into works by authors I’ve never read before. A.S. King was new to me, and after Pick the Lock, I’m definitely intrigued to check out more of her work. She pulls off a kind of storytelling that’s totally unique—equal parts bizarre and beautifully meaningful.

On the surface, this is the story of Jane, a girl trapped in the tightly wound reality of her abusive and controlling father. Jane is searching for her own truth, especially when it comes to her mother, and she’s doing it in a secret punk rock opera that she’s writing on the side. Yeah, you read that right. It’s part coming-of-age, part rebellion, and part discovery of the hard truths hidden in her family’s past. As Jane digs deeper, she sees things more clearly—about her parents, her upbringing, and herself. It becomes a mission not just to find the truth but to stop the cycle of abuse once and for all.

The best way to describe this book? It’s a wild ride that makes you think long after the last page is done. I honestly recommend Pick the Lock to anyone who loves a unique, thought-provoking story. It’s one of those reads that lingers with you, leaving behind a few questions, some deep thoughts, and maybe a new favorite author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the advanced reader’s copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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