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Jackytar
Breakwater Books Search Database! Book Details Jackytar Author(s): Douglas Gosse Genre(s): Fiction Publish 2005-05-14 1-894377-13-3 978-1-894377-13-3 $19.95 Jackytar, based on award-winning research conducted by Douglas Gosse, is the novel of self-development and social critique. Told through the eyes of Alexandre Murphy, Jackytar delves into twisting family secrets, the nature of language and identity, the influence of heritage, and a four generations’ sexual interface with the world. Jackytar is an innovative novel, boldly breaking new ground in Canadian letters. « Go Back
286 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 22, 2014
If only stars could be awarded for earnestness, and for labelling a work of fiction as an "educational novel." It's a crying shame, boy, this effort. It's so close but not quite there. I kept thinking of the block of marble that a sculptor chips away at, releasing the form contained within. If only this book had been chipped away at just a little more.
"Alex made a pot of coffee and poured over the bible" . . . one can only hope the coffee was not being poured! One pores over a text; liquid is poured. This particular error was repeatedly made.
Other errors were more serious. Here's an example:
"His brother had it all. Always did. The looks, the girlfriends clamoring to date the hockey star, the volleyball captain, the devil-may-care stud. The son who was everything a son could be to his father. And mother."
So what did the brother have? He had the looks. He had the girlfriends. He had the volleyball captain. He had the stud. Wait, what? Or did he have girlfriends who were clamoring to date other guys? Who knows, but awkwardness is always a distraction for the reader.
The bigger issue was character development and consistency. The father at one point turns into Dr. Phil and gives a long expository speech about closure. Later, he is described as someone who prefers to cook rather than talk. Everyone here is inclined to speeches when convenient. A little silence could have been a very revealing family dynamic.
One false scene was the lesson on "homosexuality and the bible" coming from the small town priest, which seemed to be new information for Alex. Really? He goes to MCC. Other MCC pamphlets are cited as references, yet he never read their text on this topic?
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was recommended by a friend (a self-described jackytar) who has read it several times and loved it. However, I found myself unable to see beyond the chipping, found myself distracted by the need to wade through an unpolished draft.
"Alex made a pot of coffee and poured over the bible" . . . one can only hope the coffee was not being poured! One pores over a text; liquid is poured. This particular error was repeatedly made.
Other errors were more serious. Here's an example:
"His brother had it all. Always did. The looks, the girlfriends clamoring to date the hockey star, the volleyball captain, the devil-may-care stud. The son who was everything a son could be to his father. And mother."
So what did the brother have? He had the looks. He had the girlfriends. He had the volleyball captain. He had the stud. Wait, what? Or did he have girlfriends who were clamoring to date other guys? Who knows, but awkwardness is always a distraction for the reader.
The bigger issue was character development and consistency. The father at one point turns into Dr. Phil and gives a long expository speech about closure. Later, he is described as someone who prefers to cook rather than talk. Everyone here is inclined to speeches when convenient. A little silence could have been a very revealing family dynamic.
One false scene was the lesson on "homosexuality and the bible" coming from the small town priest, which seemed to be new information for Alex. Really? He goes to MCC. Other MCC pamphlets are cited as references, yet he never read their text on this topic?
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was recommended by a friend (a self-described jackytar) who has read it several times and loved it. However, I found myself unable to see beyond the chipping, found myself distracted by the need to wade through an unpolished draft.
Displaying 1 of 1 review