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A review by looseleafellie
İçimdeki Diğerleri by Kathryn Evans
3.0
This book is a tricky one to rate, because I really did like the story. The concept totally intrigued me right from the start, and it just got better and better all the way to the end. I was skeptical about how the author would end up rationalizing the whole cloning thing, but she came up with an explanation that made complete sense. That was what impressed me most about [b:More of Me|27270184|More of Me|Kathryn Evans|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445740787s/27270184.jpg|47323384] -- I can think of plenty of books which have an intriguing sci-fi element, but never explain it in a satisfying way.
I was also really impressed by Teva's character development. She starts off as somewhat selfish, but she grows throughout the book to complete an amazingly selfless act towards the end. I genuinely loved seeing her learn more about her world, and how she reacts to the changes in her life.
My problems with this book are twofold. First, there was a LOT of passive voice, mostly to do with overuse of the word "was". It really took me out of the story, especially near the start, and I found myself rewriting sentences in my head to make them active. As an example, here's a sentence from chapter 38:
(More of Me, p. 291)
To rewrite this actively, it should be something like:
Of course, I wouldn't have a problem with the above quote if it were an isolated case. But the whole book is like that. I once counted eight uses of "was" in one paragraph. I will admit, though, that I'm a writer myself, so I spotted this only because I've studied the craft. The casual reader probably won't care much about the book's technical issues.
My second problem with the book is that I was never sure whether it was set in the USA or the UK. Having lived in both places, the description of the institutions in Teva's life really confused me. The characters talked about SATs, referred to school years as "grades," and called their mothers "mom," but Teva also mentions attending "primary school" (the English term for elementary school), going to Thorpe Park (a theme park in London, England), and laments the fact that she'll "never be old enough to drive," even though she's sixteen already (in England, you can't start learning to drive until seventeen). These are just some of the examples I found.
Why did this weird mixing of systems happen? I suspect that the author wanted to set a book in America, but didn't do enough research to make it convincing (she lives in England). Again, these discrepancies really took me out of the story, and made me a little angry as well. However, I will admit that most readers probably won't care -- American readers will assume the book is set in the UK based on the differences from their culture, and British readers will assume it's set in America based on the differences from theirs. As a half English, half American reader, I think I'm in the minority.
So, to sum up: I've been especially hard on it because of my personal experiences, but I think most casual readers will love this book. If you don't care about passive voice and/or don't have experience with both US and UK culture, then pick up a copy of this book and prepare for a cracking good read.
I was also really impressed by Teva's character development. She starts off as somewhat selfish, but she grows throughout the book to complete an amazingly selfless act towards the end. I genuinely loved seeing her learn more about her world, and how she reacts to the changes in her life.
My problems with this book are twofold. First, there was a LOT of passive voice, mostly to do with overuse of the word "was". It really took me out of the story, especially near the start, and I found myself rewriting sentences in my head to make them active. As an example, here's a sentence from chapter 38:
The gym was buzzing again, and it was catching.
(More of Me, p. 291)
To rewrite this actively, it should be something like:
The gym buzzed, infecting everyone with excitement.
Of course, I wouldn't have a problem with the above quote if it were an isolated case. But the whole book is like that. I once counted eight uses of "was" in one paragraph. I will admit, though, that I'm a writer myself, so I spotted this only because I've studied the craft. The casual reader probably won't care much about the book's technical issues.
My second problem with the book is that I was never sure whether it was set in the USA or the UK. Having lived in both places, the description of the institutions in Teva's life really confused me. The characters talked about SATs, referred to school years as "grades," and called their mothers "mom," but Teva also mentions attending "primary school" (the English term for elementary school), going to Thorpe Park (a theme park in London, England), and laments the fact that she'll "never be old enough to drive," even though she's sixteen already (in England, you can't start learning to drive until seventeen). These are just some of the examples I found.
Why did this weird mixing of systems happen? I suspect that the author wanted to set a book in America, but didn't do enough research to make it convincing (she lives in England). Again, these discrepancies really took me out of the story, and made me a little angry as well. However, I will admit that most readers probably won't care -- American readers will assume the book is set in the UK based on the differences from their culture, and British readers will assume it's set in America based on the differences from theirs. As a half English, half American reader, I think I'm in the minority.
So, to sum up: I've been especially hard on it because of my personal experiences, but I think most casual readers will love this book. If you don't care about passive voice and/or don't have experience with both US and UK culture, then pick up a copy of this book and prepare for a cracking good read.