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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Love Detective Clemo. One of the best characters I've read. But Emma has gotten more shallow, less believeable and certainly less likeable.
Definitely not very thrilling or suspenseful, and more so a slow read. The different points of view were a bit confusing, with no initial indication of whose view each chapter belonged to. I did like the book, but overall wouldn’t highly recommend it.
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I like what this author does with her mysteries. I really enjoy a good literary thriller, and by telling her thrillers from the perspective of not only Clemo, her main character, but the people involved in the crime, the reader gets a glimpse at many different angles on what happened.
Of particular interest to me here is how Macmillan taps into the current times, using this mystery to examine racial tensions between native UK residents and immigrants, in this case Somali. I thought she did a deft job of creating subtle racism in several characters, as well as asking hard questions about the effects of Western journalists going into war zones, and how those stories are presented to Western audiences.
The other thing I really admired about this novel was her nuanced portrayal of Noah. Cancer kids tend to be very beatific and brave in a lot of books, but this book takes pains to show that, though Noah certainly doesn't deserve his suffering, that suffering hasn't made him angelic.
There's also an interesting strain here about parent/child bonding, and how illness affects and amplifies those bonds.
I look forward to more from this author.
Of particular interest to me here is how Macmillan taps into the current times, using this mystery to examine racial tensions between native UK residents and immigrants, in this case Somali. I thought she did a deft job of creating subtle racism in several characters, as well as asking hard questions about the effects of Western journalists going into war zones, and how those stories are presented to Western audiences.
The other thing I really admired about this novel was her nuanced portrayal of Noah. Cancer kids tend to be very beatific and brave in a lot of books, but this book takes pains to show that, though Noah certainly doesn't deserve his suffering, that suffering hasn't made him angelic.
There's also an interesting strain here about parent/child bonding, and how illness affects and amplifies those bonds.
I look forward to more from this author.
This read like it was supposed to be suspenseful and mysterious, but it really wasn't. That threw me off. I'm not sure if it was just a poorly executed mystery? Or if it was meant to be obvious? I kept expecting a twist that didn't come.
Oh well, at least it was a quick read. I finished it and didn't hate it, so 2 stars.
Oh well, at least it was a quick read. I finished it and didn't hate it, so 2 stars.
slow-paced
Title: Odd Child Out (Jim Clemo, #2)
Author: Gilly Macmillan
Format: Audiobook
Description: Investigating the death of a man who may have been a casualty of a prank gone wrong, detective Jim Clemo is rapidly embroiled in an escalating public debate surrounding the victim, a British youth; and his best friend, a Somali refugee who is unwilling or unable to reveal what happened.
Thoughts: Just wow! The emotions I went through with this one was just crazy. As a African American woman in Trump's America, reading the racism Blacks across the pond are dealing with as well was intense to say the least. And the suspense was multilayered, because it wasn't just the racism, but the classism and ableism that divides as well.
Odd Child Out isn't your typical mystery either. You have a terminally ill teenager boy who had minimal time left. A "witness" who story changed from "it was an accident/horseplay" to "it was racially motivated" and back again. The suspense keeps you on your toes because you not even sure if there's anything there.
And oh boy, that Emma. I would have loved to chop her in the throat just one good time! Adding fuel to the fire when two boys lives hang in the balance. And the sad thing is there are real life Emma's on our TVs right now.
Overall, Odd Child Out was another great book from Macmillan.
Ratings: 5 out of 5 Stars
Author: Gilly Macmillan
Format: Audiobook
Description: Investigating the death of a man who may have been a casualty of a prank gone wrong, detective Jim Clemo is rapidly embroiled in an escalating public debate surrounding the victim, a British youth; and his best friend, a Somali refugee who is unwilling or unable to reveal what happened.
Thoughts: Just wow! The emotions I went through with this one was just crazy. As a African American woman in Trump's America, reading the racism Blacks across the pond are dealing with as well was intense to say the least. And the suspense was multilayered, because it wasn't just the racism, but the classism and ableism that divides as well.
Odd Child Out isn't your typical mystery either. You have a terminally ill teenager boy who had minimal time left. A "witness" who story changed from "it was an accident/horseplay" to "it was racially motivated" and back again. The suspense keeps you on your toes because you not even sure if there's anything there.
And oh boy, that Emma. I would have loved to chop her in the throat just one good time! Adding fuel to the fire when two boys lives hang in the balance. And the sad thing is there are real life Emma's on our TVs right now.
Overall, Odd Child Out was another great book from Macmillan.
Ratings: 5 out of 5 Stars
This book tells of a friendship between Noah Sandler and Abdi Mahad. Noah is dying of cancer, but hasn’t yet told his best friend, Abdi of his imminent death. Abdi is dealing with a secret of his own. One night, after a photo exhibition of Somalian refugee camps taken by Noah’s father, Abdi (of Somalian descent) and Noah go out, and Noah nearly drowns. He is taken to the hospital, unconscious, but Abdi won’t talk. Detective Inspector Jim Clemo is given the case. There are many secrets in this novel and they threaten to destroy families.
Fabulous! I'd reccomend this book to anyone looking for a good plot twist!
Macmillian is a solid writer and I enjoyed this book, though I had the sense throughout that I wasn't going to find it very memorable - which is confirmed now that I'm sitting down a week or two later to try to write a review. It was plenty complex, well written, and suspenseful, as was the first book in the series. But although I'd happily read more by this author for a reliably positive reading experience, neither of the books I've read in this series have had much lingering impact for me.