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mildredlocke 's review for:
Elsewhere
by Gabrielle Zevin
2.5 stars.
I really enjoyed the first half. The whole concept of Elsewhere is really well thought out and I enjoyed the world building.
However, I don't know if this is just because it's written for a slightly younger audience but I just found the writing to be really sloppy in places, and I find it hard to believe this was written by the same author of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
SPOILERS BELOW:
The second half annoyed me a lot. The love story felt really weird and pointless. The blurring of lines between age, maturity and biology made it quite tricky for me to get on board.
Sure, they age backwards physically, but do they also age backwards emotionally? Is it really plausible for someone who lived to be 26 to fall in love with a teenager? One minute it seemed fine because biologically he was also a teenager, and physically they're just a couple of years apart. But he still has all that emotional maturity from his twenties, feels a duty to his wife, constantly seems to parent Liz. That's not a love story I want to read.
And my god, the dialogue. The caricatures.
Curtis Jest is supposed to be a British rock star who died from a drug overdose. But he talks like an upper class aristocrat from the 19th century. "We quarreled", "I find her to be a delightful creature" - no British guy in his twenties/thirties talks like this.
Just like no one says "Gee" or "Say" at the beginning of a sentence. Especially not a fifteen year old girl, or an eight year old boy.
I hate to shit all over this, because I did really enjoy the first half, but by the end I was just pissed off with the way everything was going. Conflicts were resolved way too quickly, there were no real stakes, nothing of any consequence was given the time or reflection it deserved, and absolutely every thread was tied up neatly in a bow by the end.
The more I dwell on it, the more annoyed I am. But to try to end on a high note, I did really love Sadie, Jen, Lucy and Paco. The dogs were the best part for me.
(But okay, one more gripe - why is dog language called Canine and cat language called Catus? Why not Feline? Grrrrrrr)
I really enjoyed the first half. The whole concept of Elsewhere is really well thought out and I enjoyed the world building.
However, I don't know if this is just because it's written for a slightly younger audience but I just found the writing to be really sloppy in places, and I find it hard to believe this was written by the same author of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
SPOILERS BELOW:
The second half annoyed me a lot. The love story felt really weird and pointless. The blurring of lines between age, maturity and biology made it quite tricky for me to get on board.
Sure, they age backwards physically, but do they also age backwards emotionally? Is it really plausible for someone who lived to be 26 to fall in love with a teenager? One minute it seemed fine because biologically he was also a teenager, and physically they're just a couple of years apart. But he still has all that emotional maturity from his twenties, feels a duty to his wife, constantly seems to parent Liz. That's not a love story I want to read.
And my god, the dialogue. The caricatures.
Curtis Jest is supposed to be a British rock star who died from a drug overdose. But he talks like an upper class aristocrat from the 19th century. "We quarreled", "I find her to be a delightful creature" - no British guy in his twenties/thirties talks like this.
Just like no one says "Gee" or "Say" at the beginning of a sentence. Especially not a fifteen year old girl, or an eight year old boy.
I hate to shit all over this, because I did really enjoy the first half, but by the end I was just pissed off with the way everything was going. Conflicts were resolved way too quickly, there were no real stakes, nothing of any consequence was given the time or reflection it deserved, and absolutely every thread was tied up neatly in a bow by the end.
The more I dwell on it, the more annoyed I am. But to try to end on a high note, I did really love Sadie, Jen, Lucy and Paco. The dogs were the best part for me.
(But okay, one more gripe - why is dog language called Canine and cat language called Catus? Why not Feline? Grrrrrrr)