Stop playin'! JJ in the BK!
Being from NY, when I think of Brooklyn, I think of drama. And Brooklyn, NY hasn't seen drama like this! This isn't the type of drama that ends up on the eleven o'clock news, either. It's the type that ends up on a reality TV, on You Tube, or on your e-reader, while you struggle to keep reading well past your three-thirty A.M. bedtime.
And no, this drama ain't on "90210." This is drama straight from the 11210—
Downtown Brooklyn!
In I’ll Be Your Everything, JJ Murray definitely comes out of his comfort zone, giving his readers a novel that was completely unexpected. Shari Nance is a young, black woman who walks her "booty" off and works her "booty" off every day for a crazy, inane, cruel boss. Shari's dedication, hard-work ethic, creativity, and desire to beat the odds turns this character into "Everywoman" or "Manywomen." Come on, haven't "Manywomen" worked for a dingbat, who makes twice their salary, treats them like dirt, keeps them from rising in the ranks, while rubbing their noses in it? I know I have. I know you have. And Shari is sick of it (and so was I! And so were you!). But unlike “Manywomen,” Shari decides to…(Drumroll, please)…
“DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!”
She impersonates her boss, takes over a multimillion-dollar account, and manages to destroy the agency that treated her like a field slave for years. All this in a few pages! As she schemes to find a way to steal her boss's unearned “limelight,” in hopes of getting the spotlight to shine on her for a change, she manages to snag Tom, her boss's boyfriend in the process.
And boy does the spotlight shine on Shari for a change!
This wasn't the usual slow-roasting, kind, passionate, love that builds between two broken people that come together to feel whole. Both Shari and Tom start out with that kind of love and that lasts for all of a few nanoseconds. After a five-year phone courtship, once the two meet and realize what they have between them, they fall hard. Their love takes two shakes and a twist, and it turns into a gritty, real, resilient romance, between two head-strong individuals. These are lovers who know what they want and are willing to railroad any and every one to get it. And speaking of railroad, boy, do things go full steam ahead, much like the number 4 train roaring through Brooklyn.
My only issues were with the characters' character...traits. Their scheming turned these Christians into demons. I admit, it troubled me the way the characters seemed so closely tied to the Christian church, and lived opposite of how they should have...at least WANTED to live. We're talking an overall lack of integrity--afternoons taking credit for others’ work and plotting the destruction of careers, followed by hot and heavy nights, followed by mornings at Brooklyn Tabernacle praising God and rejoicing in His Word. Made me, an active Christian, sweat and frown a bit. These characters made me shout "repent, for the Kingdom is near!" at my e-reader a few times. But no one is the perfect Christian and we all have sinned...
But still…Christian or not, I have to admit all that drama rings true for some. And some will definitely appreciate how Mr. JJ Murray provides a realistic account of two people that are trapped in the dog-eat-god world of advertising. It's a career that can cause people to do things they never thought they would do. Matter of fact, coming from a small town as these characters do, it made me think about how moving to NY can change people too. And if there is any place that can get folks to do what they never thought they would do, it’s NY. And it’s all in the name of finding success and happiness. One thing for sure, JJ Murray’s wrote characters that go above and beyond to find bliss.
Some may say otherwise because of the internal dialogue and backstory, but I found it to be a fast-paced read. Lots of fire and ice to keep your page turning or your finger swiping. But don't take my word for it...
either download it or pick it up.
The only way to see all the drama unfold in the BK is to make a personal visit.