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The Book of Rapture
Three children wake up in a basement room of a large city hotel. They have been drugged and taken from their beds in the middle of the night. Now they are here. Alone. Where are their parents? Who can they trust?
- GenresFictionContemporary
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
6 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
Nikki Gemmell
35 books304 followersNikki Gemmell has written four novels, Shiver, Cleave, Lovesong, The Bride Stripped Bare and The Book Of Rapture, and one non-fiction book, Pleasure: An Almanac for the Heart. Her work has been internationally critically acclaimed and translated into many languages.
In France she's been described as a female Jack Kerouac, in Australia as one of the most original and engaging authors of her generation and in the US as one of the few truly original voices to emerge in a long time.
The French literary review "Lire" has included her in a list of what it calls the fifty most important writers in the world - the ones it believes will have a significant influence on the literature of the 21st century. The criteria for selection included a very individual voice and unmistakeable style, as well as an original choice of subject. Nikki Gemmell was selected along with such novelists as Rick Moody, Zadie Smith, Jonathan Safran Froer, Rohinton Mistry, Tim Winton, Colum McCann, Michel Faber and Hari Kunzru among others.
Born in Wollongong, Australia, she now lives in London.
In France she's been described as a female Jack Kerouac, in Australia as one of the most original and engaging authors of her generation and in the US as one of the few truly original voices to emerge in a long time.
The French literary review "Lire" has included her in a list of what it calls the fifty most important writers in the world - the ones it believes will have a significant influence on the literature of the 21st century. The criteria for selection included a very individual voice and unmistakeable style, as well as an original choice of subject. Nikki Gemmell was selected along with such novelists as Rick Moody, Zadie Smith, Jonathan Safran Froer, Rohinton Mistry, Tim Winton, Colum McCann, Michel Faber and Hari Kunzru among others.
Born in Wollongong, Australia, she now lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
June 13, 2011
I nearly didn't read this because there were so many poor reviews.
More fool me for almost listening to other people. I loved it.
I thought it was quirky and genuinely unsettling. It got me thinking - sometimes it's nice to read something that doesn't do all the work for you.
The small chapters with accompanying quotes really worked, and I felt like I was reading something quite different.
A dystopian take on 'Room' perhaps?! Gemmell does it again!
More fool me for almost listening to other people. I loved it.
I thought it was quirky and genuinely unsettling. It got me thinking - sometimes it's nice to read something that doesn't do all the work for you.
The small chapters with accompanying quotes really worked, and I felt like I was reading something quite different.
A dystopian take on 'Room' perhaps?! Gemmell does it again!
April 21, 2020
I am not entirely sure what to make of this book. It was very different from other books I have read. This book is about a group of children who are trapped in a room. Their mother is a scientist who comes to the attention of an ultra religious regime who have taken over the country. To protect them their father drugs them and they are in the room.
The story is complex and wasn't really for me. I didn't think it was terrible but it is definitely not for everyone.
The story is complex and wasn't really for me. I didn't think it was terrible but it is definitely not for everyone.
November 28, 2019
I recently picked this book out of my bookshelf and noticed that I had written a date in the back, which I normally do after I finish a book. I struggled to remember anything about this book and could not believe that I had read it and couldn't remember a single thing. I open the book and started reading -- no, still no memory of anything about this book or the characters or the story. So I sat on the lounge and read a little more -- still nothing.
So I kept reading, and before I knew it I had finished the book (it is a very quick read mainly because of the very short chapters and the superficial story).
I've just finished the last page and I have no doubt that I have read this book before, but there was just nothing memorable about it.
I liked the kids and the story of Project Indigo (the single paragraph that explained what it was) but I wasn't really gripped by the story.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
I liked the (short) debates between they parents about religion but, seriously, the mother was working on a WMD that sterilized everyone of a particular race until they could no longer produce, therefore killing off an entire race of people -- was I supposed to feel something for her? The father worked on this project too but walked away when it became too much, but still did nothing to stop it happening. Should I pity him? I honestly don't know what I was meant to feel for these characters. Their presence in the story was limited and superficial and they seemed to only make an appearance to argue philosophically about some random religious belief or practice that the father suddenly believed in.
Gemmell did well with the voices of the kids, except when young Mouse was writing his journal -- "Wish list: air that's got no complication in it...." Or "Dreaming just then of Salt Cottage. Snow was coating it. Protecting it under a white sheet of forgetting. Hiding it away so that's is waiting there patiently just for us, silent and enchanted." What kid writes like that!!
Finally, I didn't understand the narration of the story. It was in the voice of the mother. Where was she? How could she see all that happening? This voice was constantly snapping me out of the story because I couldn't keep track of her use of "you" and "your" and "them". Sometimes she was talking about the kids, then her husband, then herself, but using the same pronouns. I just found it confusing.
I know many readers will absolutely love this book. They will find it lyrical and beautiful and moving.
Unfortunately, I wasn't one of those readers.
So I kept reading, and before I knew it I had finished the book (it is a very quick read mainly because of the very short chapters and the superficial story).
I've just finished the last page and I have no doubt that I have read this book before, but there was just nothing memorable about it.
I liked the kids and the story of Project Indigo (the single paragraph that explained what it was) but I wasn't really gripped by the story.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
I liked the (short) debates between they parents about religion but, seriously, the mother was working on a WMD that sterilized everyone of a particular race until they could no longer produce, therefore killing off an entire race of people -- was I supposed to feel something for her? The father worked on this project too but walked away when it became too much, but still did nothing to stop it happening. Should I pity him? I honestly don't know what I was meant to feel for these characters. Their presence in the story was limited and superficial and they seemed to only make an appearance to argue philosophically about some random religious belief or practice that the father suddenly believed in.
Gemmell did well with the voices of the kids, except when young Mouse was writing his journal -- "Wish list: air that's got no complication in it...." Or "Dreaming just then of Salt Cottage. Snow was coating it. Protecting it under a white sheet of forgetting. Hiding it away so that's is waiting there patiently just for us, silent and enchanted." What kid writes like that!!
Finally, I didn't understand the narration of the story. It was in the voice of the mother. Where was she? How could she see all that happening? This voice was constantly snapping me out of the story because I couldn't keep track of her use of "you" and "your" and "them". Sometimes she was talking about the kids, then her husband, then herself, but using the same pronouns. I just found it confusing.
I know many readers will absolutely love this book. They will find it lyrical and beautiful and moving.
Unfortunately, I wasn't one of those readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2012
One of the first things I noticed about the Book of Rapture is that it is told in second person present tense, ie. "You watch your children bickering..."
It took me a couple of pages to get used to the style, but once I was in, it became like a strange sort of dream.
The story is a diary, told by the mother, who, like a guardian angel, watches over her children in this strange new environment without being able to act or change anything. The story jumps between the 'present' with the children in the locked room and the 'past' as the writer remembers things that brought them all to this point.
Every 'chapter' is short - no more than a few pages - and ends with a quotation relating to belief and religion. Most of them are from the Koran or the Bible, but a few come from more random sources - in one case, C. S. Lewis.
At first I thought the book was really weird. But as each small chunk finished, I thought 'why not just read the next bit - it's only another page' and before long I had finished.
It was a dream-like trip with no really solid form or location - like most diaries are I suppose. I mean who bothers reminding themselves where they are or what, exactly, they are doing. Not that this book needed solid form. It achieved what it set out to do - to move its reader emotionally and make them quesiton the nature of science and religion - all the more vivid through the experiences of those innocents caught in the middle.
I quickly came to love the three children and though I could not condone their mother's earlier ambition, I could empathise with her path to redemption.
I was left wondering what had actually happened, but I definitely got the point. This is the sort of book where you have to leave your 'head' behind and just feel.
It took me a couple of pages to get used to the style, but once I was in, it became like a strange sort of dream.
The story is a diary, told by the mother, who, like a guardian angel, watches over her children in this strange new environment without being able to act or change anything. The story jumps between the 'present' with the children in the locked room and the 'past' as the writer remembers things that brought them all to this point.
Every 'chapter' is short - no more than a few pages - and ends with a quotation relating to belief and religion. Most of them are from the Koran or the Bible, but a few come from more random sources - in one case, C. S. Lewis.
At first I thought the book was really weird. But as each small chunk finished, I thought 'why not just read the next bit - it's only another page' and before long I had finished.
It was a dream-like trip with no really solid form or location - like most diaries are I suppose. I mean who bothers reminding themselves where they are or what, exactly, they are doing. Not that this book needed solid form. It achieved what it set out to do - to move its reader emotionally and make them quesiton the nature of science and religion - all the more vivid through the experiences of those innocents caught in the middle.
I quickly came to love the three children and though I could not condone their mother's earlier ambition, I could empathise with her path to redemption.
I was left wondering what had actually happened, but I definitely got the point. This is the sort of book where you have to leave your 'head' behind and just feel.
April 10, 2020
I found this preachy, contrived, unrealistic and derivative.
The voices of the children are particularly unbelievable, as is the way Mouse writes; he is 8 but writes and thinks like a young adult. They do not talk consistently, one minute all knowing and the next childlike, at one moment scared and then gleeful. I could have forgiven that if the story was compelling – it wasn’t.
How the mother is able to see everything they do is also beyond me. Initially I thought she must be a spirit watching over them, as she is omnipresent and appears to need no sleep, but that theory is thrown out by the over-sentimental end.
I think the messages the book aims to deliver are
(1) be spiritual, it doesn’t matter what you believe in but humans need to have spirituality and faith
(2) just because you reject the way the Church operates does not mean you reject God (interchange terms according to religion – this is meant to cover them all)
(3) when evil is done in the name of religion things have gone wrong
(4) empathy is the most important trait
(5) children have something to teach adults about how to treat others, and
(6) love is the strongest faith of all – the best thing to believe in, (with an emphasis on the love of family, and all families loving each other regardless of race, religion, etc, etc).
The voices of the children are particularly unbelievable, as is the way Mouse writes; he is 8 but writes and thinks like a young adult. They do not talk consistently, one minute all knowing and the next childlike, at one moment scared and then gleeful. I could have forgiven that if the story was compelling – it wasn’t.
How the mother is able to see everything they do is also beyond me. Initially I thought she must be a spirit watching over them, as she is omnipresent and appears to need no sleep, but that theory is thrown out by the over-sentimental end.
I think the messages the book aims to deliver are
(1) be spiritual, it doesn’t matter what you believe in but humans need to have spirituality and faith
(2) just because you reject the way the Church operates does not mean you reject God (interchange terms according to religion – this is meant to cover them all)
(3) when evil is done in the name of religion things have gone wrong
(4) empathy is the most important trait
(5) children have something to teach adults about how to treat others, and
(6) love is the strongest faith of all – the best thing to believe in, (with an emphasis on the love of family, and all families loving each other regardless of race, religion, etc, etc).
September 19, 2020
I am not sure how the cover of this book came about from the plot. Did I miss something?
And what is with the title? It is a horrible depressing plot, how did the title come about.
And don't get me started on the huge holes in the story, let alone the children with adult brains and conversation. In my opinion this reads like it was written in a hurry and churned out without any background help whatsoever.
And what is with the title? It is a horrible depressing plot, how did the title come about.
And don't get me started on the huge holes in the story, let alone the children with adult brains and conversation. In my opinion this reads like it was written in a hurry and churned out without any background help whatsoever.
December 9, 2009
Rarely have I read something so poetic and beautiful as this book. I was stirred, touched and changed.
April 29, 2019
Couldn't get into it. One to give away, maybe someone else can appreciate it :)
August 2, 2011
UK-based Australian author Nikki Gemmell has written some memorable novels. I loved “Shiver” “Cleave” (a.k.a. “Alice Springs”) and “Lovesong” but was disappointed with “The Bride Stripped Bare” which became a huge international hit despite what I thought of it. “The Book of Rapture” reprises the technique she used for “Bride” in that we don’t know the name of the narrator, apart from it being a female, a scientist involved in a top secret project, a wife and mother of three children. The children have been spirited away to a secure location, a bland basement, for their own good. They are frightened, mystified and resourceful. Their story, as imagined by their mother, grips us and pulls us in to their claustrophobic world. We have to know, will they ever get out of the prison that is also their protection. Will they be reunited with their parents? Who of their infrequent contacts is friend and who is foe? It’s riveting stuff alright. However, I miss the straightforward storytelling of her pre “Bride” novels. Those are the ones I will return to again and again.
March 10, 2012
Why does Nikki Gemmell insist on writing everything in the 2nd person? It's no longer clever or interesting, and, despite what SOME reviews say, it doesn’t make her writing more ‘lyrical’. It just grates. Admittedly, it was moderately interesting in “The Bride Stripped Bare”, as its use increased the sense that this could be an ‘every woman’ experience, while also presenting an interesting take on certain feminist academics’ use of the 1st person plural, ‘we’. However, in “The Book of Rapture” it just came off as tired.
The writing irritated me in other ways as well. Metaphors and similes can have wonderful effects, but only when they are used well. The rest of the time, as in “The Book of Rapture”, they just seem forced. This is especially so when they come spouting from the mouths of characters who are supposed to be a small children. Children do not speak this way – they know better.
Equally, while the plot could and should have been exciting and interesting, I was just bored.
I didn’t like this book.
The writing irritated me in other ways as well. Metaphors and similes can have wonderful effects, but only when they are used well. The rest of the time, as in “The Book of Rapture”, they just seem forced. This is especially so when they come spouting from the mouths of characters who are supposed to be a small children. Children do not speak this way – they know better.
Equally, while the plot could and should have been exciting and interesting, I was just bored.
I didn’t like this book.
August 15, 2015
There's a lot about this story that I just don't get. For me, the novel is too full of it's own mystery.
For one, if the mother has been captured and is in a room with some device that allows her to see her children, why then do her captors not know where her children are hidden? There's no indication that she has telepathic abilities. What am I missing?
The dialogue does not ring true as child-speak, and the mother's responses to what she is seeing seem to hold too much dominance. There's a whole missing story somewhere in this novel.
The author has given the reader a skeleton sketch and left us to fill in the gaps. That might have worked well if what we were given were not so slight. And the conclusion is left to the reader.
What does come through is a prophetic look at how our lives might be if the west were to fall to the totalitarian rule of fundamentalist religion, purging by violence.
It's an odd book. i found it a difficult read.
The structure is similar to "With My Body" and though it worked well for that novel, it felt disjointed for this one.
For one, if the mother has been captured and is in a room with some device that allows her to see her children, why then do her captors not know where her children are hidden? There's no indication that she has telepathic abilities. What am I missing?
The dialogue does not ring true as child-speak, and the mother's responses to what she is seeing seem to hold too much dominance. There's a whole missing story somewhere in this novel.
The author has given the reader a skeleton sketch and left us to fill in the gaps. That might have worked well if what we were given were not so slight. And the conclusion is left to the reader.
What does come through is a prophetic look at how our lives might be if the west were to fall to the totalitarian rule of fundamentalist religion, purging by violence.
It's an odd book. i found it a difficult read.
The structure is similar to "With My Body" and though it worked well for that novel, it felt disjointed for this one.
September 24, 2009
Nikki was trying to teach us a lesson in this book..... science versus religion, the innocence of children which can overcome all adversity and quotations from famous people and bibilical references to ponder. I just didn't buy the story. She was a little over the top with her sentimentality and descriptive lingo.
You have to be in the right mood for this book its a bit intense.
You have to be in the right mood for this book its a bit intense.
November 7, 2012
Listened to this audio book. Well tried. Beautiful prose, but had no idea nor cared where this was going, so abandoned a quarter of the way in. Seriously, at one point the audio book was on shuffle and the chapters made more sense all out of order. Two stars for the imagery, but really not interesting enough to continue.
October 18, 2009
Not sure... I suspect it might be one that will linger.
January 24, 2025
This book is difficult.
There is an interesting premise and a thought-provoking message. I enjoyed the use of the religious teachings at the end of every chapter to highlight the basis of faith as being humanity and morality. Juxtaposed with “Project Indigo” being an immoral mission of science. Interestingly, throughout, the mother (the scientist) proclaims that it is religion that is wrong and evil. Contrast this with the devout religious zealots of the Doctor and “the regime”. Posing the thought; that good and bad, right and wrong, religion and science are all constantly intertwined. Defined individually, and supported by one’s own choices.
However, it did take me until the second half of the book to actually understand what was going on. The mother being able to see everything her children were doing despite not being with them was also confusing. Also, it was almost impossible to gage the age of the children as they fleeted between being deeply philosophical and then acting like actual children. This, accompanied by the blatant grammatical errors, warrants the rating.
There is an interesting premise and a thought-provoking message. I enjoyed the use of the religious teachings at the end of every chapter to highlight the basis of faith as being humanity and morality. Juxtaposed with “Project Indigo” being an immoral mission of science. Interestingly, throughout, the mother (the scientist) proclaims that it is religion that is wrong and evil. Contrast this with the devout religious zealots of the Doctor and “the regime”. Posing the thought; that good and bad, right and wrong, religion and science are all constantly intertwined. Defined individually, and supported by one’s own choices.
However, it did take me until the second half of the book to actually understand what was going on. The mother being able to see everything her children were doing despite not being with them was also confusing. Also, it was almost impossible to gage the age of the children as they fleeted between being deeply philosophical and then acting like actual children. This, accompanied by the blatant grammatical errors, warrants the rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2025
I find it fascinating that this book rates so poorly. Perhaps because it's not a book you can enjoy as such- more marvel at. It does have echoes of the Handmaids Tale, Nazi Germany, and perhaps the current-day troubles in Gaza, the Ukraine, and USA. It's not so far out that it or something like it might not happen.
The questions other reviewers seem to have are over; 1. the unrealness of the children's adult thinking and 2. the impossibility that the mother can 'see' what is happening to her children in order to narrate what is happening to them. My responses to that are 1. Spend more time really talking to intelligent well raised children. And 2. It's fiction- who cares how the mother can see her children? Just roll with it and listen well.
The questions other reviewers seem to have are over; 1. the unrealness of the children's adult thinking and 2. the impossibility that the mother can 'see' what is happening to her children in order to narrate what is happening to them. My responses to that are 1. Spend more time really talking to intelligent well raised children. And 2. It's fiction- who cares how the mother can see her children? Just roll with it and listen well.
November 14, 2022
This book has a really interesting concept and would be a good read for anyone interested in philosophy and alternate universe type stories.
The reason for my low rating is that the book is just very confusing. The concept of project indigo is fascinating and intriguing but they literally only explain what it is for about half a page about 100 pages into the book. The first third of the book I was so confused at what was going on.
A quick read and has some really good points to get you thinking. Despite the low rating I would recommend this book but definitely read a synopsis or two before getting too far in. Once I had done that it helped me understand the story a lot better.
The reason for my low rating is that the book is just very confusing. The concept of project indigo is fascinating and intriguing but they literally only explain what it is for about half a page about 100 pages into the book. The first third of the book I was so confused at what was going on.
A quick read and has some really good points to get you thinking. Despite the low rating I would recommend this book but definitely read a synopsis or two before getting too far in. Once I had done that it helped me understand the story a lot better.
October 12, 2021
I’m just so confused about everything. About the why’s. The why of the book. The why of the story. The why of the apparent war that’s going on somehow somewhere?
What happened to B? Or was he called G? As the name changed throughout the book… neglectful editor.
What was the significance of the doll????
Howwwwww can the mother read the minds of the children? Or can she? And why does her sight first seems restricted to this one room but later on just follows them.
Why why why?
The children are 8 as it turns out, yeah not buying their behaviour at all.
What happened to B? Or was he called G? As the name changed throughout the book… neglectful editor.
What was the significance of the doll????
Howwwwww can the mother read the minds of the children? Or can she? And why does her sight first seems restricted to this one room but later on just follows them.
Why why why?
The children are 8 as it turns out, yeah not buying their behaviour at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2023
So the style of writing takes a while to get used to as it is written in the second person with the narrator being omniscient- watching her children and at times her husband both in the present and reminiscing about their shared past. She is a scientist who has found the ultimate solution and those in power want it. It is about the role of religion in our lives. It’s about racism and hate. It felt as if this is what could happen if we continue down the path of othering and hate we’re on now!
December 29, 2023
It seems that you either love or hate this story.
The short chapters ensnare you in a fast pace story, and the 2nd person perspective of the narrator was an unusual change for me personally. The plot itself is as old as time, and is kept vague enough that you could relate it to any point in history both past, present, and (sadly) I imagine the future, too.
I’m partial to enjoy prose and poetry over a standard fictional narrative, and so thoroughly enjoyed this.
The short chapters ensnare you in a fast pace story, and the 2nd person perspective of the narrator was an unusual change for me personally. The plot itself is as old as time, and is kept vague enough that you could relate it to any point in history both past, present, and (sadly) I imagine the future, too.
I’m partial to enjoy prose and poetry over a standard fictional narrative, and so thoroughly enjoyed this.
January 31, 2019
She’s a super writer, but the plot was not my cup of tea. I liked what she was trying to do - analyse the place of religion in the modern/political/scientific world - but she packaged her idea in an ineffective manner for me.
April 13, 2020
Absolutely spellbinding. Gemmell’s prose is powerfully poetic without a word to spare. The deep human exploration and challenging all we hold dear on every page makes this book impossible to set down. I cannot read this again soon enough.
July 6, 2018
I really enjoyed this - but I’m a sucker for science and religion. I didn’t even mind the weird use of 2nd person.
December 10, 2019
I wish I could give this negative stars. What a load of crap was that writing? Premise was super interesting and then basically 200 pages later, nothing has happened since the first chapter. Ugh
April 15, 2022
I found this to be one of the most challenging novel I have ever read.
The plot is flimsy, writing full of editing errors and the nothing is concluded.
The plot is flimsy, writing full of editing errors and the nothing is concluded.
October 24, 2023
I loved the quotes from various religious texts and spiritualists at the end of each chapter. However the story itself I felt was not as compelling as her other books
March 14, 2024
I found this book too hard to follow so I didn't finish it.
March 29, 2016
Nikki Gemmell’s book of rapture turns writing on its head. Rather than start with a quote and extrapolate, each segment seems to be the stuff of daily life condensed down to a following statement which builds into a future. By this means the reader is lead into the development of the children under the watchful eye of the mother/narrator who carries a guilt that cannot easily be determined or extracted.
What seemed an alignment with external authority is brought into question “somewhere” and her own stance is proving less clear than she would have liked. Her challenge becomes her whole family’s challenge and they are prepared to meet it by what they mean to each other – both before this crisis point of separation, and by intention from that into what such meaning might be in their collective future.
It is only by the reference list at the end of the novel, that there are various sources for “wisdom”, that clarification of the personal journey of “making it” becomes a re-Creation. Each individual is thus empowered rather than disempowered by their own ability to meld the pieces they are given. The oneness of the weave includs varied threads rather than dying after the cloth has been woven.
A challenging read in its subtlety. Make sure you have time to “sit with it” after you finish reading so the flavours work their way around in your mind. Then ask your own question, write your own review.
What seemed an alignment with external authority is brought into question “somewhere” and her own stance is proving less clear than she would have liked. Her challenge becomes her whole family’s challenge and they are prepared to meet it by what they mean to each other – both before this crisis point of separation, and by intention from that into what such meaning might be in their collective future.
It is only by the reference list at the end of the novel, that there are various sources for “wisdom”, that clarification of the personal journey of “making it” becomes a re-Creation. Each individual is thus empowered rather than disempowered by their own ability to meld the pieces they are given. The oneness of the weave includs varied threads rather than dying after the cloth has been woven.
A challenging read in its subtlety. Make sure you have time to “sit with it” after you finish reading so the flavours work their way around in your mind. Then ask your own question, write your own review.
May 24, 2013
Big fan of Nikki, but this was terrible.
Just terrible.
The characters were hard to care about, and the whole brooding air of threat thing just didn't work for me. Maybe the characters were hard to care about because the whole brooding air of threat thing didn't work for me.
That aside, this was another case (I'm looking at you, Pat Barker) where I was hoping to get the story that the synopsis promised... but didn't.
See, this is one reason why people write fan fiction: because the original idea was messed up by the author. Though, technically, that's the exact opposite of fan fiction, I suppose... Discuss.
Shiver is a way better effort from her, and less baggagey than Bride. Save your time with this and read Shiver. It's just a straightforward romance, but you get what it says on the label, and at least you can read it.
Two stars means I finished the book rather than threw it across the room. That's one star.
Just terrible.
The characters were hard to care about, and the whole brooding air of threat thing just didn't work for me. Maybe the characters were hard to care about because the whole brooding air of threat thing didn't work for me.
That aside, this was another case (I'm looking at you, Pat Barker) where I was hoping to get the story that the synopsis promised... but didn't.
See, this is one reason why people write fan fiction: because the original idea was messed up by the author. Though, technically, that's the exact opposite of fan fiction, I suppose... Discuss.
Shiver is a way better effort from her, and less baggagey than Bride. Save your time with this and read Shiver. It's just a straightforward romance, but you get what it says on the label, and at least you can read it.
Two stars means I finished the book rather than threw it across the room. That's one star.
June 25, 2014
I enjoyed this book while I was reading it, but simultaneously I had a lot of problems with it. One of the main problems is something I've read in almost all the other reviews, how where and why is the narrator telling us this? It would have been less nonsensical to have the book be the boy's writing than the mother from some unknown location - is she being shown this on cctv, is she imagining it, is she in the room next door behind some kind of magic mirror?
One of the other issues is how the children speak, coming out with phrases that I can't imagine fifteen year olds let alone eight year olds speaking. It seemed like the realistic nature of their speech was passed over just to keep the flow.
It seemed like this should have been a short writing prose exercise but the idea was good so they decided to stretch it out but it just doesn't work, otherwise I feel like the level of mystery would have been enjoyable.
One of the other issues is how the children speak, coming out with phrases that I can't imagine fifteen year olds let alone eight year olds speaking. It seemed like the realistic nature of their speech was passed over just to keep the flow.
It seemed like this should have been a short writing prose exercise but the idea was good so they decided to stretch it out but it just doesn't work, otherwise I feel like the level of mystery would have been enjoyable.
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