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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Kerrie-Anne Hill lived a full life before the age of 18. Raised in Nottingham estates by a junkie mother who ran out when Kez was 16, a series of "uncles" in and out of the house, and a little brother left to raise...all Kez could do was find ways to fend for herself. Her junkie boyfriend moved in shortly after her mom left. Living the drug life, of dealing, using and a series of murders, Kerrie-Anne fights to be set free reguardless of the price.
I picked this book up simply because it was a hardback on the sale shelf. The first few sentences pulled me in. I had the impression it was an adult novel although after the first few pages it was apparent that it catered to the pre-teen/teen crowd.
It is a fast and mildly entertaining read. I could not empathise with the main character or really any of the characters at all. The characters felt flat and the story line redundant.
Monaghan's ideas were good....but the execution fell short.
If you want to read a realistic and well written novel about drugs...read anything by Irvine Welsh
I picked this book up simply because it was a hardback on the sale shelf. The first few sentences pulled me in. I had the impression it was an adult novel although after the first few pages it was apparent that it catered to the pre-teen/teen crowd.
It is a fast and mildly entertaining read. I could not empathise with the main character or really any of the characters at all. The characters felt flat and the story line redundant.
Monaghan's ideas were good....but the execution fell short.
If you want to read a realistic and well written novel about drugs...read anything by Irvine Welsh
The Killing Jar is the story of a young girl, who grows up in house filled with drugs, violence and addiction. Her slow transformation from young girl who still believes in a different life, into the life of a psychotic addict is mesmerizing and disturbing. Perhaps the most effective element of this novel is her utter likability, even as she commits a series of increasingly violent crimes as she tries to escape the lifestyle.
I couldn't put the book down. The detail from bugs to crime were full on, creating a metaphor that holds true throughout. Harsh imagery softened by lens of a girl of intelligence and a sense of humanity. I cannot, yet, release the book back to a free shelf in a pub because of the closing scene. I want to read it again. After my heart heals a bit more.
Just look at this cover. It has a pretty girl and a butterfly. I wonder what this book might be about?
As it turns out it’s about drugs, sex, violence, murders, abortions, prostitution and suicides. Aw, that’s cute. The only thing missing are ponies.
This is how the narrator describes the birth of her little brother:
“I shrugged. Mam’d always slept a lot and I’d never thought much of it. I looked at the baby, his mouth open and tongue wriggling as he screamed. I noticed he used his whole body to cry with. Looking back now, I wonder why the nurses didn’t give him a bit of methadone or summat to help him out but they let him go cold turkey instead. What a way to come into the world. Never stood a chance, our Jon.”
So, Vintage Books dot Co dot Uk, I actually love ya, but this cover is a serious case of false advertising. I know there is this rule in publishing that anything written by a woman needs a cute cover, otherwise other women would panic and wouldn’t buy it, and I know that there technically was a butterfly in the book, but for God’s sake! Alex Wheatle’s books get way better covers and his stuff is not half as grim as ‘The Killing Jar’. Yeah, it’s called ‘the KILLING JAR’. The butterflies on the cover should be DEAD.
Ok, rant over. This book was actually quite awesome.
It should be a recommended read for all judgemental people, Tory MPs, Mitt Romney, and everybody else who feels just a little too smug about themselves.
Kerry-Ann, the narrator, is smart, funny, sarcastic, angry, soft, hard, sometimes out of control, just as you have to be to survive on an estate and come out on the right side against all odds.
Nicola Monaghan creates a voice that’s psychologically deep with prose that’s beautiful without compromising the authenticity of the character and which tells a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
By the time Kerry-Ann is fourteen, she has already been through things someone her age shouldn’t even watch on tv. And there’s more to come. Don’t get it twisted, though, the book isn’t just some ‘poverty porn’ style piling up of gruesome events to get you teary-eyed. Far from it. It does make you emotional, of course, but more importantly, it makes you understand. Ten points for social determinism.
The downside of reading “The Killing Jar” is that you might want to try ecstasy and start writing ‘could of’ and ‘should of’.
Still, I’d say read it, even you don’t normally go for things with pretty girls and butterflies on the cover.
Here, I have a perfect video for this book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg00YEETFzg
As it turns out it’s about drugs, sex, violence, murders, abortions, prostitution and suicides. Aw, that’s cute. The only thing missing are ponies.
This is how the narrator describes the birth of her little brother:
“I shrugged. Mam’d always slept a lot and I’d never thought much of it. I looked at the baby, his mouth open and tongue wriggling as he screamed. I noticed he used his whole body to cry with. Looking back now, I wonder why the nurses didn’t give him a bit of methadone or summat to help him out but they let him go cold turkey instead. What a way to come into the world. Never stood a chance, our Jon.”
So, Vintage Books dot Co dot Uk, I actually love ya, but this cover is a serious case of false advertising. I know there is this rule in publishing that anything written by a woman needs a cute cover, otherwise other women would panic and wouldn’t buy it, and I know that there technically was a butterfly in the book, but for God’s sake! Alex Wheatle’s books get way better covers and his stuff is not half as grim as ‘The Killing Jar’. Yeah, it’s called ‘the KILLING JAR’. The butterflies on the cover should be DEAD.
Ok, rant over. This book was actually quite awesome.
It should be a recommended read for all judgemental people, Tory MPs, Mitt Romney, and everybody else who feels just a little too smug about themselves.
Kerry-Ann, the narrator, is smart, funny, sarcastic, angry, soft, hard, sometimes out of control, just as you have to be to survive on an estate and come out on the right side against all odds.
Nicola Monaghan creates a voice that’s psychologically deep with prose that’s beautiful without compromising the authenticity of the character and which tells a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
By the time Kerry-Ann is fourteen, she has already been through things someone her age shouldn’t even watch on tv. And there’s more to come. Don’t get it twisted, though, the book isn’t just some ‘poverty porn’ style piling up of gruesome events to get you teary-eyed. Far from it. It does make you emotional, of course, but more importantly, it makes you understand. Ten points for social determinism.
The downside of reading “The Killing Jar” is that you might want to try ecstasy and start writing ‘could of’ and ‘should of’.
Still, I’d say read it, even you don’t normally go for things with pretty girls and butterflies on the cover.
Here, I have a perfect video for this book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg00YEETFzg
I really enjoyed this because it's set in the area that I grew up in so a lot of the streets and places were known to me. I also loved that it was (partially anyway) written phonetically because I felt a greater connection to the characters... They sounded just like me!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is written intermittently in Nottingham dialect which takes a bit of getting used to if you’ve not lived nearby. What a bleak book! I found it really engaging and got through it fairly quickly but it’s miserable subject matter. Would definitely recommend though, provided you’re not looking for a lighthearted read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder
This is hard to rate because the very heavy subject matter is not enjoyable but it is realistic and heartbreakingly so. Major TW for drug use, sexual abuse, abortion, suicide, murder.. Difficult to understand if you’re unfamiliar with Nottingham dialect so I recommend having a pen close by to write down what the words are. Definitely a fucked up book but worth the read.
I enjoyed the book. Had a hard time understanding the dialect at first but started getting it a few chapters in. This book was raw and heart wrenching on the life of someone on drugs. I thought it was well written and very dark.