The Dew Breaker

Edwidge Danticat
2004
ISBN 0349 11789 6

The blurb on the back of this book promises a lot, beginning with a man with a vicious, violent past, and the unfolding of his story. The first few pages begin with the man's daughter and her discover of his secret.

From there though, things get fragmented. The story becomes the stories of other random people, some of whom have no discernible connection to the family at the centre promised in the blurb. There is no reference to when in the story things are happening, and no reference to how anyone ties in.

Altogether, this is a confusing picture of a collection of lives, all somehow touched by the hardships they've encountered, but it's so distracting trying to place how everyone fits together that the mood the author is trying to
create gets lost.

Date finished: 20/08/07
Year Total: 25

Labyrinth

Kate Mosse
2005
ISBN 0 75286 054 2

Another story about the quest for the Grail, tying in modern day suspense with medieval conspiracies. Luckily, this is one story that works, and works really well.

The story begins with Alice Tanner, stumbling across a cave on an archeological dig in southern France, and then jumps between her and the confusing events that take place afterwards, and the story of Alais, a young Cathar woman who lived eight hundred years before.

Instead of relying on codes and mysteries symbols to keep the reader hooked, Mosse has drawn a rich tapestry of words, using emotion and action to keep you turning the pages. It works well - I sat up late several times so I could reach the next part of the story.

Sad and uplifting at the same time, this had me hooked. I think the quote on the cover sums it up well: "Eat your heart out, Dan Brown, this is the real thing." (Val McDermid).

Date Finished: 18/08/07
Year Total: 24

Lost In A Good Book

Jasper Fforde
2002
ISBN 0340 822 83 X

I read Fforde's first book (The Eyre Affair) last year and loved it, and decided to read the books in order. It turns out this is a good idea, as the sequel pick up right where the first book left off, and there are so many references to people and explanations from the first book that it would be almost impossible to understand as a stand-alone read.

Prequel-dependence aside, this book is so packed with startling everyday occurences, such as the tourist attraction of migrating mammoths, that the idea of jumping in and out of books can seem plausible, paving the way for Thursday's apprenticeship as an agent of jurisfiction, the literary protectors who work from inside the classics.

With Hades dead and Jack Schitt (definitely something to be said for the names of the characters - several short-lived personalities included Dedman, Walking, Cannon, Fodder and Chalk and Cheese) safely trapped in a copy of the Raven, Thursday intends to enjoy married life, but is dismayed to find that her husband has been eradicated - removed from the world as a toddler - and someone is trying to kill her.

Armed with a jar of lentils and a determined anger, Thursday is out to get her husband back - whatever the cost.

Book finished: 09/08/2007
Year Total: 23