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A review by charlottejones952
Cold Fusion 2000 by Karl Drinkwater
5.0
I received this book for review from the author and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Although it is described as an adult contemporary, I found it to be much more intelligently written than most contemporary novels that I have read in the past. The descriptive style made the characters and locations come to life on the page and especially as some of the places are familiar to me, it really put the story in a different class to other stories of this kind. Set in the year 2000, this novel has a lot of nostalgia such as old Nokia phones, bulky computers and dial-up internet, that just makes you as the reader connect with the character's experiences more.
At first, the science nature of some of the passages put me off a bit as they were a bit complicated at points but I think that after a while, I got used to the way Alex thought and it became much easier to understand his thought processes.
I loved the development of the characters and found each of them relatable in some way, although they were all distinct from each other and completely realistic. Alex reminded me of a mixture of all of the main characters from The Big Bang Theory; unlucky in love, a bit OCD, living with his mother, doesn't understand other people, but I really liked that about him. Natalie was a bit confusing at first but I soon came to like her fieriness and attitude towards life. Likewise, although I found the situation with Jane a bit odd, I learned to like her as the plot progressed.
One of my favourite things about this book was the level of research that was evident throughout. As someone that has a keen interest in art, the scene in the Whitworth gallery was one of my favourites - the vivid descriptions coupled with the opinions of both characters involved really drew me into the scene and kept me captivated.
I finished this book in about a day and I am completely in love with Karl Drinkwater's writing style. At only 200 pages, it makes a short yet thought-provoking philosophical read full of quirky science-fiction references and well-built locations and characters. I would definitely recommend this to adult readers of contemporary literature and I can't imagine not picking this up again at some point in the future.
At first, the science nature of some of the passages put me off a bit as they were a bit complicated at points but I think that after a while, I got used to the way Alex thought and it became much easier to understand his thought processes.
I loved the development of the characters and found each of them relatable in some way, although they were all distinct from each other and completely realistic. Alex reminded me of a mixture of all of the main characters from The Big Bang Theory; unlucky in love, a bit OCD, living with his mother, doesn't understand other people, but I really liked that about him. Natalie was a bit confusing at first but I soon came to like her fieriness and attitude towards life. Likewise, although I found the situation with Jane a bit odd, I learned to like her as the plot progressed.
One of my favourite things about this book was the level of research that was evident throughout. As someone that has a keen interest in art, the scene in the Whitworth gallery was one of my favourites - the vivid descriptions coupled with the opinions of both characters involved really drew me into the scene and kept me captivated.
I finished this book in about a day and I am completely in love with Karl Drinkwater's writing style. At only 200 pages, it makes a short yet thought-provoking philosophical read full of quirky science-fiction references and well-built locations and characters. I would definitely recommend this to adult readers of contemporary literature and I can't imagine not picking this up again at some point in the future.