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2.76 AVERAGE
2.76 AVERAGE
I usually like Eric LaRocca’s books but this one failed to stick. The concept and synopsis were intriguing to me but execution was strange. The story lagged a lot for being so short and that was frustrating, the POV’s were interesting enough but confusing at times and things just didn’t make sense.
It also features some heinous, homophobic hate crimes that really disturbed me. Of course with LaRocca, I expected some body horror and violence but it was a lot.
It also features some heinous, homophobic hate crimes that really disturbed me. Of course with LaRocca, I expected some body horror and violence but it was a lot.
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
As a fan of LaRocca's short stories, I was disappointed by this book.
Every paragraph was stuffed full of flowery, unnecessary similes that often didn't even make sense in the context of the sentence. From a sentence about someone leaving a room - "abandoning him the way napalm-scented civilians would single-file march from their burning homelands, forming a glorious diaspora". What? It's one person walking out of a room. At times it seemed like the author spent time writing a list of overly exaggerated similes and then wrote the book around them.
The characters were two dimensional and not particularly likeable. One of the main characters, 'Ghost', reads like a middle schooler's first OC, complete with cliché tragic backstory. The other main character's story was completely pointless -he is homophobically abused, beaten and gang raped, only for all of his memories of this to be magically erased. Well, what was the point of me reading about it?
The ableism surrounding a blind little girl character was written with such malicious cruelty that I assumed it was purposeful, that it would come back around later to show that characters had learned and grown and changed their beliefs. But, no, it wasn't addressed again.
Also, I don't think the author knows what the word 'coveted' means. It's used incorrectly about four times throughout the book. I think he just thinks it means to look at something?
Every paragraph was stuffed full of flowery, unnecessary similes that often didn't even make sense in the context of the sentence. From a sentence about someone leaving a room - "abandoning him the way napalm-scented civilians would single-file march from their burning homelands, forming a glorious diaspora". What? It's one person walking out of a room. At times it seemed like the author spent time writing a list of overly exaggerated similes and then wrote the book around them.
The characters were two dimensional and not particularly likeable. One of the main characters, 'Ghost', reads like a middle schooler's first OC, complete with cliché tragic backstory. The other main character's story was completely pointless -
The ableism surrounding a blind little girl character was written with such malicious cruelty that I assumed it was purposeful, that it would come back around later to show that characters had learned and grown and changed their beliefs. But, no, it wasn't addressed again.
Also, I don't think the author knows what the word 'coveted' means. It's used incorrectly about four times throughout the book. I think he just thinks it means to look at something?
fast-paced
The ending is what made this one for me, otherwise it would have probably been a one star for me. I enjoyed the idea of something I think most would have considered a metaphor(at least I did) was actually not the emotional metaphor once know but a tangible and actually very protective entity to one of the protagonists.
I've read two other novellas by LaRocca and what has brought me back is the diction he used in his writing - he tends to write in a very Romantic way when detailing pretty horrific scenes and details. Still, I hold true to my original critique of his work in how he writes women. It's not overtly sexist or anything like that but his female characters do tend to come off more flat and make a lot more illogical decisions/leaps when compared to their male counterparts.
Ex:Ghost meets Gemma once in the novella and then she basically goes into a religious coma and then wakes up to see him there and then without explanation thanks him for being her savior??? Any person in their right mind would have immediately been suspicious that he was the initiator.
Anyway, to end on a good note, I enjoyed the parallels that build upon the them of Creator/Torturer/Punisher - very much, " to be alive is to know pain" that to be born is to be abandoned and stolen from. I also liked the idea that the title of "God" is transient depending on who holds the most power regardless of if they decide to act on it with benevolence or malice, they just are.
I've read two other novellas by LaRocca and what has brought me back is the diction he used in his writing - he tends to write in a very Romantic way when detailing pretty horrific scenes and details. Still, I hold true to my original critique of his work in how he writes women. It's not overtly sexist or anything like that but his female characters do tend to come off more flat and make a lot more illogical decisions/leaps when compared to their male counterparts.
Ex:
Anyway, to end on a good note, I enjoyed the parallels that build upon the them of Creator/Torturer/Punisher - very much, " to be alive is to know pain" that to be born is to be abandoned and stolen from. I also liked the idea that the title of "God" is transient depending on who holds the most power regardless of if they decide to act on it with benevolence or malice, they just are.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So slow until it wasn’t. Eric LaRocca you’re sick and twisted (complimentary)
if i took a shot for every simile in this book, i’d have alcohol poisoning by the end of chapter one. if i took a drink of water every time something good happened to a character, i’d die of dehydration. these are neither criticisms nor advocacies. they just are.
3.5. Overall I really liked this story. It felt like the right length and amount of mystery. The metaphorical writing style didn’t bother me. I think it added to the mysterious vibe.
One problem I have is the two main storylines feel unrelated. There are common threads related to homophobic behavior and oppression, but other than that the relationship between the two stories felt insignificant. Which then, made the sexual violence feel very unnecessary and out of place.
Lol that some readers mention in their review that they were frustrated by the “unrealistic behavior” that the police weren’t doing anything about the disappearances. As if we have better real life examples of the police today. To me, that was a nod to how Western society doesn’t value the elderly rather than the effectiveness of our justice system.
One problem I have is the two main storylines feel unrelated. There are common threads related to homophobic behavior and oppression, but other than that the relationship between the two stories felt insignificant. Which then, made the sexual violence feel very unnecessary and out of place.
Lol that some readers mention in their review that they were frustrated by the “unrealistic behavior” that the police weren’t doing anything about the disappearances. As if we have better real life examples of the police today. To me, that was a nod to how Western society doesn’t value the elderly rather than the effectiveness of our justice system.
dark
mysterious
tense
Truly one of the worst books I have ever read. The writing is terrible, the characters don’t behave like any real human ever would, and the plot is thin and nonsensical. The only good things I can say about the book are that I appreciate the LGBTQ+ representation and that it has a nice cover and title (which is what suckered me into reading it). As others have mentioned, the ableism and disrespect for the disabled community that the book contains is also inexcusable. I will not be reading any more books by this author and I wish this book had not been published.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes