JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Darkness on the Edge of Town by Jessie Cole

When a stranger crashes her car outside Vincent and Gemma’s bush home, their lives take a dramatic turn. In an effort to help the stranded woman, father and daughter are drawn into a world of unexpected and life-changing consequences. DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN is a haunting tale that beguiles the reader with its deceptively simple prose, its gripping and unrelenting tensions, and its disturbing yet tender observations.

I’ve had ‘Deeper Water’ (Jessie Cole’s latest novel) on my reading list for a while now, but thought it was best to read Jessie Cole’s earlier work first. The cover drew me in. I’ve been reading fantasy lately, and the ominous and melancholic atmosphere evoked from the cover really seemed like it would be a nice change.

This book is genius. It’s more character driven than plot driven, and reminds me a lot of Margaret Atwood’s earlier work. Vincent and Rachel are three dimensional and realistic characters, and dialogue is definitely the strongest part of this story. Gemma seemed a little stereotypical, especially as the book progressed, and I think Jessie could have dialled back Gemma’s point of view and featured more of Vincent’s perspective.

This story is dark and frightening and I couldn’t put the book down – I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys literary books. Some readers may think that nothing much actually happens in this book, but the exploration and development of character is more than enough to produce a good story. The point of view shift between Vincent and Gemma helps propel the story forward and is a refreshing change. Now that I’m familiar with Jessie Cole’s writing, I’m going to pick up a copy of ‘Deeper Water’.

My Score: 9/10

The Giver by Lois Lowry

 

Jonas’ world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

I won’t lie. I picked up this book because the ‘major motion picture’ is about to come out, and I was curious. A lot of people seemed to read this in high school, and until the movie trailer was released, I’d never heard of this book. And to think of all the books I had to read in high school that I didn’t enjoy, and here was this book that I would’ve loved to have read in high school.

This novel is fast-paced and has an intriguing premise. It is a great children’s book and I can see why kids would love it. However, in saying that, the book probably could’ve been double the size and helped to fill in a few gaps that I noticed. I read this in a few hours and I wanted to know more about The Giver’s memories and about Jonas’ reaction when he finds out what ‘releasing’ entails. I think that there isn’t enough stylistic development between when Jonas makes this discovery and when he runs off with Gabriel.

Although the novel is fast-paced, at times it was a little too quick. The novel is supposed to take place over approximately one year and I didn’t get that from the text. It seemed like one month, maximum. And I feel like the social dynamic between Jonas and The Giver could’ve been explored more, but since this is children’s fiction, Lowry can get away with it.

My Score: 8/10

Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe

I feel obliged to adore all classic books simply because they’re classics, and although that statement works well for Perfume or Lord of the Rings, I didn’t love Robinson Crusoe as much as I would have liked. Perhaps it was because Crusoe, who survives a shipwreck and is stranded on an island for 28 years, isn’t actually stranded until 1/3 of the way through the novel. Or perhaps it’s because Defoe goes into such great detail about Crusoe’s time on the deserted island that it made me a little sleepy.

Crusoe spends 28 years building his own fortress on the island (mostly from things he salvaged from his destroyed ship) by taming animals, gathering food, and learning to hunt. Although detail is needed for the reader to envision Crusoe’s predicament, I often skimmed certain sections of a page because I didn’t feel like reading another explanation of how Crusoe grew his crops and organised them.

I must applaud Defoe on his ability to skip ahead of time without jolting the reader. Much like how Suskind’s Perfume jumped ahead seven years, Defoe is able to skip a couple of years in one line of prose, and the reader rolls with it. But then again, after reading the ’28 years’ in the blurb, the reader is probably aware that some sections of the book are going to skip ahead a few years.

My Score: 7/10

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I always know when I’m reading a brilliant book because it influences my mood, and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl made me feel frustrated and angry for the 48 hours that I was reading it.

The novel is about Nick’s wife, Amy, who goes missing on the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary. The first third of the novel functions like any crime/thriller. Someone goes missing (presumed dead), and the first suspect is questioned (usually the husband). But when you get to Part B (the second third of the novel), you’re inundated with twists and horrible acknowledgements from both characters. Part C adds to the suspense in a ‘how will this novel end?’ kind of way. I can’t say much without ruining those twists, so I’ll keep my review vague.

You realise quite quickly that this novel is not like most crime/thriller novels. The characters have depth, and their motivations and background is explained well. Flynn switches point of view between Nick and Amy (this seems like a spoiler, but Amy’s point of view is from the past in the form of diary entries), and the transition is handled quite smoothly. Flynn has established their voices really well, and they don’t intertwine and ever feel like similar characters.

The only downside to the novel is that neither character seems relatable. Nick is a cheater (sorry for the slight spoiler, but you learn this pretty early on), and Amy is a manipulative bitch (excuse the language). It’s hard to know which character you like more, because I felt like I didn’t really like either character. Still, I wanted to know what happened to Amy. And Gillian knows how to write a great thriller.

My Score: 9/10

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind

Occasionally, I come across a novel that is so well-written, and so engaging, that it makes me angry. It makes me angry out of pure jealousy. I get annoyed at how amazing the author is at constructing characters and plot. And right now, I’m angry at Patrick Suskind for his 1985 novel, Perfume.

The protagonist, Grenouille, is tossed aside as a baby and grows up with a sense of smell stronger than any other human being. He becomes fascinated with different smells, and learns about making perfume with the once-great perfumer, Baldini. Soon, Grenouille is not satisfied with the hundreds of smells and perfumes that he has stored within his mind. He needs to attain the smell of a virgin, because it is the one smell that has evaded him thus far.

I must mention that Grenouille’s desire to capture the scent of a virgin doesn’t actually arise until about the 200th page. So, between pages 100 and 200, I kept asking myself ‘Where is this story going?’ But, once you hit the 200th page, the pace quickens and you can’t put the book down. You think you know how the story will end and then Suskind twists the plot and it ends a different way. The ending is actually quite gruesome, in a brilliantly-satisfying kind of way.

The novel is dark, romantic, tragic, and comedic all at the same time. The writing is seamless, and at times, the novel jumps forward a few years (at one point, seven), and yet Suskind has written the transition so smoothly that the reader isn’t jolted at all. I may be jealous of Suskind, but I’ll still recommend Perfume to anyone and everyone.

My Score: 10/10