Violins

VVV Trilogy

by J. Kiakas

VVV Trilogy is a group of books that can be read in any order the reader chooses to read them in.

There is no wrong way to read these books, the choice is entirely yours.
Make it count.

--
Oliver Sanswicky is a young man who enjoys being alone. Unfortunately, he is consistently disturbed by various visitors, all who want something from him. While Oliver isn’t always particularly certain what it is these people want from him, he very much knows that all he wants, and all he’s ever wanted, is freedom.
This freedom is merely at his fingertips as he struggles with the horrible thought that his reality might be out of his control.
We all fall down.

152 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2013

Reviews

[Sabrina Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thought of a boy with feathers for hair was what caught my attention first. Then, it was going towards the idea of freaks and weird and I loved that. The characters were unique and very different in their designs and characterizations.

When it came to the overall storyline, there was a deep, dark theme to it. It wasn’t drastically evil, but it was enough to make me feel some kind of suspense and tragedy in it. It pretty much told me, ‘The world is messed up. It doesn’t follow how you want it go most of the time. Live with it.” Apart from its fantasy-based setting, it had a small batch of realism, especially when it came to the treatment and portrayal of the main character, Oliver.

Oliver got hurt a lot—physically, emotionally, and mentally. He was bi-polar sometimes; there were times where he was in an okay-mood, and afterwards, he’d be so torn down easily. I enjoyed that, to be honest. Sometimes, it was exaggerated, but for the most part, there are people like that in real life and it was nice to see that the portrayal and characterization wasn’t sugar-coated.

Now, if there was something that I really, really felt could have been better, it would have to be the way it was written. There were times where the flow in reading Violins was rocky. It would flow smoothly at first, but then, there would just be a few bumps that ruined it. Sometimes, it was too verbose and there were problems when it came to syntax.

However, the story was what made me disregard this matter. My most favorite thing about “Violins,” and what I saw was really astounding was how elements, ideas, facts, and details that were first introduced around the beginning or in the middle made so much sense when it came towards the end. As I got towards the end, things finally clicked!

Nonetheless, I still feel that “Violins” deserves a 3.00 rating out of 5.00, so it’s somewhere in the middle. The story would have been much more enjoyable if the writing was cleaned and fixed, especially with the flow. “Violins” was a very interesting piece of work, but it could be even greater!

[Akimika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how much I want to say about this book because it was definitely an interesting read. At first, the events of the book are more about Oliver's unfortunate health and living situation, and it slowly turns into a confusing barrage of nightmare events that happen to him. By the end of the book I was second guessing what I knew about the story and the fact that not only is the VVV trilogy able to be read out of order, but that the whole series of events appears intentionally out of order and it was much too late by the time I realized it. The book did have some wording and spelling mistakes but honestly it's not ambiguous by any means and is easy to gloss over. I'm looking forward to reading Violas and Violoncellos to see where this labyrinth of a story takes Oliver.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The VVV Trilogy can be read in any order. I started in the middle, with Violins, where the protagonist Oliver is a young man.

Violins more closely resembles prose poetry than a plot driven novel. There is very little world building or driving conflict in the text. Rather, it is a poetic experience loaded with imagery that represents the internal struggles and pain of the protagonist, whose life is plagued with an unknown illness, strange visions, and the abusive attitudes of the people he is dependent on. However, this does not make for a boring novel. The book is divided into bite-sized microchapters, one to five pages long, and each chapter introduces a new element of intrigue that serves to move the story along.

I particularly like the creative strangeness of Oliver's visions, and the supporting art accompanying the text in the margins. The slightly abstract and simple illustrations add charm and detail to the text's imagery.



I also love the refreshing addition of sign language in the story, used by Oliver to communicate. Most of the other characters understand the language without the need for an interpreter.

However, Oliver's lack of positive or negative reaction to the world around him (either in hope, fear or motivation) makes it difficult to engage with the plot and feel concerned with what will happen to him. The writing also contains many comma splices and several typos, which might bother some readers.

Recommendation:
I wouldn't recommend Violins to those who prefer a strong plot over an artistic experience. For people who like abstraction, poetic imagery and the interpretation of one's own struggle and pain, Violins is an intriguing and beautiful book that is definitely worth reading. Amateurs of slightly abstract art will also enjoy J. Kiakas's simple and beautiful black and white illustrations.