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A review by book_concierge
The Big Door Prize by M. O. Walsh
3.0
From the book jacket: What would you do if you knew your life’s potential? That’s the question facing the residents of Deerfield, Louisiana, when the DNAMIX machine appears in their local grocery store. Its promise is amazing: with just a quick swab of your cheek and two dollars, the device claims to use the science of DNA to tell you your life’s destiny. With enough credibility to make the townspeople curious, the machine soon has the teachers, nurses, and shopkeepers of Deerfield abruptly changing course to pursue their new destinies – including Douglas Hubbard and his wife, Cherilyn, who both believed they were perfectly happy until they realized they could dream for more…
My reactions:
My F2F book club chose this book for discussion; I doubt I would have picked it up otherwise. I knew nothing going into it and expected a charming, quirky character-driven ensemble of small-town Southern America. I got some of that, certainly, but so much more.
There are some pretty heavy issues here, including unrealized dreams, peer pressure, drug abuse, grief, suicidal ideation, and domestic terrorism. The characters weren’t all fully realized, with some being little more than stereotypical sketches.
I came to really like some of these characters; Douglas, Cherilyn, Father Pete, and Principal Pat stand out. My heart broke for Trina and Jacob who cannot see a way to process their trauma and grief, and like too many teenagers, struggle alone.
There are scenes that are introspective and give the reader some insight into what these characters are thinking (whether or not they’ve used the DNAMIX machine to reveal their potential). Other scenes are light-hearted and break the tension. And there are very dramatic scenes that made me afraid to look, and more afraid to look away. There were enough plot points left hanging that several in my book club suspect a sequel in the works.
My reactions:
My F2F book club chose this book for discussion; I doubt I would have picked it up otherwise. I knew nothing going into it and expected a charming, quirky character-driven ensemble of small-town Southern America. I got some of that, certainly, but so much more.
There are some pretty heavy issues here, including unrealized dreams, peer pressure, drug abuse, grief, suicidal ideation, and domestic terrorism. The characters weren’t all fully realized, with some being little more than stereotypical sketches.
I came to really like some of these characters; Douglas, Cherilyn, Father Pete, and Principal Pat stand out. My heart broke for Trina and Jacob who cannot see a way to process their trauma and grief, and like too many teenagers, struggle alone.
There are scenes that are introspective and give the reader some insight into what these characters are thinking (whether or not they’ve used the DNAMIX machine to reveal their potential). Other scenes are light-hearted and break the tension. And there are very dramatic scenes that made me afraid to look, and more afraid to look away. There were enough plot points left hanging that several in my book club suspect a sequel in the works.