A Million Little Pieces by James Frey Review
05/07/2011 § Leave a comment
James Frey’s memoir describes his odyssey through a notable American rehabilitation centre after hitting rock bottom as a crack addict. The author’s thoughts tumble onto the page unhampered by grammatical rules, blurring the line between his thoughts and actions and reflective of his chaotic mental state. This hard hitting book is not for the faint hearted; the narrative is permeated with harrowing and sometimes gruesome scenes, necessary to the book’s raw and brutally honest portrayal of lifelong addiction. A Million Little Pieces is immensely rewarding, and all the more affective for being based on a true journey.
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver Review
12/06/2011 § Leave a comment
Eva recounts the events leading up to her son Kevin massacring several peers and one teacher in his school Gym via unanswered letters to her absent husband. The plot is openly aligned to the contemporary Columbine epidemic whilst retaining a uniqueness and originality. This is not historical fiction but a persistently unsettling exploration of society’s taboos. Shriver balances the reader’s submissive correspondence with a suspect narrator with the unapologetically unanswerable Nature vs. Nurture debate. The story suspends the reader on tenterhooks despite bearing a largely foregone conclusion and compels its audience to squirm with discomfort as effectively as Kevin himself.
Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist Review
12/06/2011 § Leave a comment
A victimised weakling, Oskar is a Swedish schoolboy who wishes he had the courage to wreak bloody revenge on his teenage tormentors. Enter Eli, the cold and dirty urchin with whom Oskar forms an unlikely and binding friendship. This book is not an average horror story but don’t be fooled into believing that you will not be horrified. Hardly a tale of tender friendship against the odds, this story transports the reader to a bleak and unenviable existence where clever narrative devices and complex characterisation develop sympathy for the unnatural and abhorrent. The plot is suspenseful, terrifying and thought provoking.
Stylist Magazine Feature
09/06/2011 § Leave a comment
Fancy taking a look at my reviews in print? Click the link and check out p8 and p61.
They include Eleven, Mr Fox, Medium Raw and the new Thomas Tantrum album.
Mr Fox by Helen Oyeyemi Review
07/06/2011 § Leave a comment
*As featured in Stylist Magazine*
Mr Fox is cheating on his wife, with his imaginary friend. Mr Fox is also a serial killer; his heroines never make it out of a story alive. Oyeyemi punctuates the narrative with her protagonist’s own gruesome fairy tales to great effect; blurring the line between what you suppose is fact and hope to be fiction. Don’t be fooled by the inadequate blurb and misleading cover art, Oyeyemi has a sharp wit and isn’t afraid to use it. Mr Fox is a black comedy that draws you into a hilariously horrifying world, where your imagination can literally run away with you.
Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain Review
07/06/2011 § Leave a comment
*As featured in Stylist Magazine*
Following on from the highly successful and controversial biography Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw peppers choice episodes from Bourdain’s past with observational analysis of the food world in the present. Characteristically pessimistic advice for wannabe chefs is sandwiched between accounts of illegal secret banquets and boozing with the Gadaffis on a Caribbean Yacht. The writing style is hysterical: sardonic musings on a food industry in financial crisis are related in the style of an x-rated Eeyore. Those anticipating a diluted sequel, fear not. Humour drier than a Sauvignon Blanc is blended with derisive insightfulness to give this biography a real bite.
booksbeccabuys 