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A review by befsk
The Burning by Laura Bates
2.0
This feels like an important story that just wasn't told in the right way.
The pacing is awful and the book doesn't seem to know what it wants to be - contemporary commentary on current social issues? Magic realism dual story with a rather unsubtle moral to be taught? And I'm very unsure about phasing into second person narrative when we enter the dream visions from Maggie's story. It would've been better if Anna found a diary in the attic instead of a necklace that gives her visions to tell the story of Maggie.
Plot points and story threads were dropped when they stopped being relevant but were left completely unresolved.
What was the point in the history project framing device for digging into Maggie's story when we didn't even get the pay off of Anna presenting her project or even getting a grade for it? Near the end I thought we'd have her friends comment on how amazing it was or something as they were reading it but we didn't even get that.
I'm baffled about showing Simon's home life so early on in the book as it's completely irrelevant, except to set him up as an antagonist due to Anna witnessing his humiliation. But if anything, the book teaches that boys like that don't need an excuse, and boys like that will treat girls horribly because they always have.
Can't quite believe she was like 'as I closed Glenn's door for the last time'. He's a lonely old man who's grateful for your company and you've already befriended him, are you really implying you're never going to bother visiting him ever again?
Why would Anna's mum tell her ex-best mate's mum everything? Why would her ex-best mate's mum tell her daughter, Suzanne, everything? Why would Suzanne then tell Anna's ex, Chris, everything? How would none of this have been lost in this game of Chinese whispers, especially the bit about Cat, who they don't know or care about? Why would this Chris then go to such extreme efforts and spend so much personal time setting up these social media presences and photoshopping pictures and videos and answering questions pretending to be Anna? I know things like this can happen but really? Is he psychotic? If he's this obsessed with her, Anna's mum should probably get a restraining order because if he spends so much time thinking about how to make her life miserable it's only a matter of time before he tracks her down to murder her.
The ending was unrealistic but strong and uplifting, which was needed after all of the horrendous and detailed bullying.
Basically, this book needs heavily trimming by an experienced editor and then the message is more likely to shine through. As I said, it's an important message, so it's a shame this book was so jumbled.
Received this ARC through Netgalley.
The pacing is awful and the book doesn't seem to know what it wants to be - contemporary commentary on current social issues? Magic realism dual story with a rather unsubtle moral to be taught? And I'm very unsure about phasing into second person narrative when we enter the dream visions from Maggie's story. It would've been better if Anna found a diary in the attic instead of a necklace that gives her visions to tell the story of Maggie.
Plot points and story threads were dropped when they stopped being relevant but were left completely unresolved.
What was the point in the history project framing device for digging into Maggie's story when we didn't even get the pay off of Anna presenting her project or even getting a grade for it? Near the end I thought we'd have her friends comment on how amazing it was or something as they were reading it but we didn't even get that.
I'm baffled about showing Simon's home life so early on in the book as it's completely irrelevant, except to set him up as an antagonist due to Anna witnessing his humiliation. But if anything, the book teaches that boys like that don't need an excuse, and boys like that will treat girls horribly because they always have.
Spoiler
We drop the vague obsession Anna has with her attic as soon as she obtains the necklace. She was interrupted while searching so would surely want to go back to search properly.Can't quite believe she was like 'as I closed Glenn's door for the last time'. He's a lonely old man who's grateful for your company and you've already befriended him, are you really implying you're never going to bother visiting him ever again?
Why would Anna's mum tell her ex-best mate's mum everything? Why would her ex-best mate's mum tell her daughter, Suzanne, everything? Why would Suzanne then tell Anna's ex, Chris, everything? How would none of this have been lost in this game of Chinese whispers, especially the bit about Cat, who they don't know or care about? Why would this Chris then go to such extreme efforts and spend so much personal time setting up these social media presences and photoshopping pictures and videos and answering questions pretending to be Anna? I know things like this can happen but really? Is he psychotic? If he's this obsessed with her, Anna's mum should probably get a restraining order because if he spends so much time thinking about how to make her life miserable it's only a matter of time before he tracks her down to murder her.
The ending was unrealistic but strong and uplifting, which was needed after all of the horrendous and detailed bullying.
Basically, this book needs heavily trimming by an experienced editor and then the message is more likely to shine through. As I said, it's an important message, so it's a shame this book was so jumbled.
Received this ARC through Netgalley.