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thehauntingofbennie 's review for:
Brat: A Ghost Story
by Gabriel Smith
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
all in all, 'Brat' was an interesting exploration of grief and family, aided by horror elements that brought something strange and new to a rather simple story.
initially, I was put off by the detached and simplistic, if not at times clumsy, writing style. it's clear that this is the way the author chose to portray the grieving protagonist' point of view, but personally, I prefer to be closer to a character. to me, the cold tone of the story lessened the impact the plot points had on me as a reader. having read the ending, I understand the purpose of this - Gabriel slowly coming out of his shell-shocked state was very well portrayed. still, it took me about 200 pages to care for him at all. none of the characters, except for his grandmother, were particularly likeable, which was hard to read about, because all of them were mean in the same flat, emotionless way throughout most of the book.
I very much expected the climax of the book to come about through the various horror elements, but I like what we got instead: the two brothers connecting and taking first steps towards understanding each other and healing. Not all is explained or resolved, but there is a future to be imagined.
the short chapters interspersed with manuscript excerpts made me go through the book at a fast pace in spite of the impersonal writing style. if you don't have a problem with unlikeable characters and more vibes than plot, and aren't looking for elegant sentences either, I'd recommend!
initially, I was put off by the detached and simplistic, if not at times clumsy, writing style. it's clear that this is the way the author chose to portray the grieving protagonist' point of view, but personally, I prefer to be closer to a character. to me, the cold tone of the story lessened the impact the plot points had on me as a reader. having read the ending, I understand the purpose of this - Gabriel slowly coming out of his shell-shocked state was very well portrayed. still, it took me about 200 pages to care for him at all. none of the characters, except for his grandmother, were particularly likeable, which was hard to read about, because all of them were mean in the same flat, emotionless way throughout most of the book.
I very much expected the climax of the book to come about through the various horror elements, but I like what we got instead: the two brothers connecting and taking first steps towards understanding each other and healing. Not all is explained or resolved, but there is a future to be imagined.
the short chapters interspersed with manuscript excerpts made me go through the book at a fast pace in spite of the impersonal writing style. if you don't have a problem with unlikeable characters and more vibes than plot, and aren't looking for elegant sentences either, I'd recommend!