yetanothersusan 's review for:

This Is What I Want by Craig Lancaster

5.0

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1 small town, 600 residents, and a weekend Jamboree that had been an annual event for more than 10 years. What could be so interesting? Well, it was summed up quite nicely by one of the characters in the book, Omar: "How was it that life as he knew it three days ago seemed so much simpler than what he saw ahead of him now, with its infinite complications?" The amazing feat was that none of the changes that took place in the lives of the people of Grandview seemed unrealistic. But as real life is complicated and messy, so were the relationships of the characters in Mr. Lancaster's book. There is a wife questioning her choice of husband and possibly some infidelity, a son who is uncomfortable coming home, a mayor who epitomizes the caricature of the crooked politician, the mother who is tired and ready for the afterlife, the green police chief, and so many other rich characters. I was almost sad that we only spent one weekend with them.

I have never read any of his writings before but will definitely be on the look out for them now. I liked how the story was told in chapters that changed between the characters so that not only did you learn about that individual but how they felt about their relationships with the other characters in the book.

I received a preview copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an objective review.