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A review by hundredacreofbooks1990
The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder by Sarah J. Harris
2.0
In the tradition of the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a captivating mystery about a boy with Synesthesia — a condition that causes him to see colours when he hears sounds — who tries to uncover what happened to his beautiful neighbour, and if he was ultimately responsible.
Thirteen-year-old Jasper Wishart lives in a world of dazzling colour that no one else can see, least of all his dad. Words, numbers, days of the week, people’s voices—everything has its own unique shade. But recently Jasper has been haunted by a colour he doesn’t like or understand: the colour of murder.
Convinced he’s done something terrible to his new neighbour, Bee Larkham, Jasper revisits the events of the last few months to paint the story of their relationship from the very beginning. As he struggles to untangle the knot of untrustworthy memories and colours that will lead him to the truth, it seems that there’s someone else out there determined to stop him — at any cost.
Both a refreshing coming-of-age story and an intriguing mystery, The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder is a poignant and unforgettable read—perfect for fans of bestselling authors such as Fredrick Backman and Graeme Simsion.
The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder was certainly unique in the way it was narrated and how it all unfolded to the reader. You are introduced into a world where colour is the centre of attention, rather then a specific character. The author really tried to showcase Autism and Synesthesia in their main character Jasper, 13, which was very interesting, and it was a unique way of displaying different disabilities in mainstream society.
I didn't connect with all of the characters like I was hoping I would, however I think Sarah J. Harris has done a wonderful job of painting a collection of different personas with flaws, skills, wants and problems. The challenges characters faced were realistic and dealt with in an appropriate time frame and manner for the plot line. Although I wasn't particularly captivated by the book, I found that I could still sympathise with Jasper as we both are living with a disability.
Given the length of the story and the continuous change in subjects, such as parakeets, his paintings, and Bee Larkham's constant demands; it made it difficult to enjoy reading as it felt more like a chore to finish, and I found my concentration wandering. I really wanted to immerse myself in Jasper Wisheart's world as I heard so much about the outline of this book, and i'm a sucker for bright bold cover art. However, I wasn't one hundred percent sold on trying to solve the story line myself, even though it was tied up nicely in the end.
I had great intentions of tucking into this book and getting lost in it's world. Sadly that wasn't the case as I felt as if it was tedious at times, and unorganised. With being such a blind book in the beginning, and with a confusing middle, the slow start will hopefully have you surprised and enthralled to be involved in Jasper's unique perception of life.
Ultimately I wasn't sold on the story and was unable to feel a lasting connection to the plot line or it's characters. I would recommend this to bookworms who are comfortable reading a slow paced novel, however I did not feel this to be suitable for young teenagers as it covers some intense subject matters including inappropriate age gap relationships, that even made me uncomfortable. I would like to think anyone who enjoys mystery, fiction, contemporary or crime genres will add this to their list.
Thirteen-year-old Jasper Wishart lives in a world of dazzling colour that no one else can see, least of all his dad. Words, numbers, days of the week, people’s voices—everything has its own unique shade. But recently Jasper has been haunted by a colour he doesn’t like or understand: the colour of murder.
Convinced he’s done something terrible to his new neighbour, Bee Larkham, Jasper revisits the events of the last few months to paint the story of their relationship from the very beginning. As he struggles to untangle the knot of untrustworthy memories and colours that will lead him to the truth, it seems that there’s someone else out there determined to stop him — at any cost.
Both a refreshing coming-of-age story and an intriguing mystery, The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder is a poignant and unforgettable read—perfect for fans of bestselling authors such as Fredrick Backman and Graeme Simsion.
The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder was certainly unique in the way it was narrated and how it all unfolded to the reader. You are introduced into a world where colour is the centre of attention, rather then a specific character. The author really tried to showcase Autism and Synesthesia in their main character Jasper, 13, which was very interesting, and it was a unique way of displaying different disabilities in mainstream society.
I didn't connect with all of the characters like I was hoping I would, however I think Sarah J. Harris has done a wonderful job of painting a collection of different personas with flaws, skills, wants and problems. The challenges characters faced were realistic and dealt with in an appropriate time frame and manner for the plot line. Although I wasn't particularly captivated by the book, I found that I could still sympathise with Jasper as we both are living with a disability.
Given the length of the story and the continuous change in subjects, such as parakeets, his paintings, and Bee Larkham's constant demands; it made it difficult to enjoy reading as it felt more like a chore to finish, and I found my concentration wandering. I really wanted to immerse myself in Jasper Wisheart's world as I heard so much about the outline of this book, and i'm a sucker for bright bold cover art. However, I wasn't one hundred percent sold on trying to solve the story line myself, even though it was tied up nicely in the end.
I had great intentions of tucking into this book and getting lost in it's world. Sadly that wasn't the case as I felt as if it was tedious at times, and unorganised. With being such a blind book in the beginning, and with a confusing middle, the slow start will hopefully have you surprised and enthralled to be involved in Jasper's unique perception of life.
Ultimately I wasn't sold on the story and was unable to feel a lasting connection to the plot line or it's characters. I would recommend this to bookworms who are comfortable reading a slow paced novel, however I did not feel this to be suitable for young teenagers as it covers some intense subject matters including inappropriate age gap relationships, that even made me uncomfortable. I would like to think anyone who enjoys mystery, fiction, contemporary or crime genres will add this to their list.