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Hidden
Since his childhood, David's life has always been difficult and painful. His lack of social skills followed him through to his adult life, and together with the dark clouds of bad luck and depression, he finds it hard to manage in day-to-day life. When he devices an "innocent" plan to meet people online, his true self finally surfaces. The woman he falls in love with doesn't know the story behind who he really is, and when the truth is finally revealed, his life, along with the lives of the people around him, utterly falls apart.
182 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 2, 2015
The premise for the plot is interesting and holds promise for something much better. That said, I found this book to be substandard and in need of major rewriting/overhaul. Writing a negative review is never simple but try to understand my reasoning. Grammar is important. Stories told from one point of view should remain in that point of view unless for a very good reason. Suspense is not added by dropping threads in lieu of something that seems more interesting half-way through the book. If you cannot capture your reader in the first 1,000 words you are very likely to lose them. Slow beginnings are not good, and are even worse when they remain slow through the first half. Suspension of belief only works when it's not so far out in left field it's in the forest. This takes us back to grammar and punctuation; have someone look at your book from an editing aspect. I received an evaluation copy from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. This is my opinion and may not mirror your own.
October 22, 2013
It is amazing that this could possibly be this authors first book. It has you hooked from the very beginning. With every page turned and chapter ended, you cannot put it down because you have to know more! I could easily see a movie based off this book. Cannot wait to see more from this author in the future!
July 23, 2016
This book was a free Kindle download.
The blurb sounded intriguing and since I like variety in the books I read, I decided to give this one a try.
The story is about David, a 40-something lawyer, and is told mostly from his point of view.
It starts with the protagonist describing the room he has spent the last decade in ( in a psychiatric clinic) , and his thoughts regarding his long stay:
"Ten years, but nothing has changed. They told me it would get better, but it hasn't."
And this is "visible" to the reader, because the only person David interacts with is Jeff, an orderly at the clinic.
Just a few days before David's next evaluation, he starts opening up to the older man and tells him his story and the things that led to him being commited to the mental facility.
I will not reveal what exactly happened in David's past, but try to explain my rating:
Halfway through the story, I was sure I would end up rating this book with 3 stars.
It's the author's debut novel and my expectations were not so high.
I did not mind the rather dull story-telling at the beginning. The fact that David was wallowing too much and too long in self-pity for my liking; the missing signs of progress in his mental state.
But all of a sudden the author decided to switch the POV's and added the thoughts of two other characters to this story.
This felt weird, coming out of the blue.
And I think it's because Mr. Angelou realized he had reached the limitations of the first person POV narrative.
Wanting to add suspense and mystery is difficult and tricky when you have chosen to write something in first person...
Unfortunately, these switches and the showdown of sorts at the ending, was what ruined the book for me.
Too contrived and over-the-top...
I was left wondering how much absurdities can possibly be crammed into one story.
On a side note:
A "fresh" pair of eyes could be helpful in detecting some mistakes in this work: mixed tenses, missing prepositions and such...
The blurb sounded intriguing and since I like variety in the books I read, I decided to give this one a try.
The story is about David, a 40-something lawyer, and is told mostly from his point of view.
It starts with the protagonist describing the room he has spent the last decade in ( in a psychiatric clinic) , and his thoughts regarding his long stay:
"Ten years, but nothing has changed. They told me it would get better, but it hasn't."
And this is "visible" to the reader, because the only person David interacts with is Jeff, an orderly at the clinic.
Just a few days before David's next evaluation, he starts opening up to the older man and tells him his story and the things that led to him being commited to the mental facility.
I will not reveal what exactly happened in David's past, but try to explain my rating:
Halfway through the story, I was sure I would end up rating this book with 3 stars.
It's the author's debut novel and my expectations were not so high.
I did not mind the rather dull story-telling at the beginning. The fact that David was wallowing too much and too long in self-pity for my liking; the missing signs of progress in his mental state.
But all of a sudden the author decided to switch the POV's and added the thoughts of two other characters to this story.
This felt weird, coming out of the blue.
And I think it's because Mr. Angelou realized he had reached the limitations of the first person POV narrative.
Wanting to add suspense and mystery is difficult and tricky when you have chosen to write something in first person...
Unfortunately, these switches and the showdown of sorts at the ending, was what ruined the book for me.
Too contrived and over-the-top...
I was left wondering how much absurdities can possibly be crammed into one story.
On a side note:
A "fresh" pair of eyes could be helpful in detecting some mistakes in this work: mixed tenses, missing prepositions and such...
May 20, 2014
I've broken my "no contemporary" rule twice recently, and both with pleasant results. HIDDEN is one of them, though it starts to get so twisted I almost expected something paranormal-y to happen. No paranormal aspects here, but plenty of things you never saw coming. Rumor says there will be a sequel, and I'm curious to see where the author takes the story next.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews