Hellllo readers, today’s review comes with a very big apology. I’ve had this book lurking on my kindle since before I can remember and then I got it read but didn’t get it reviewed and then I completely forgot about it. This probably makes me the worst blogger and there’s no excuse. Lauren wrote me a really wonderful guest post yesterday and I promised I would get this done and up for her and I have – eventually. I do just want to apologise to Lauren for the terrible delay, but there is a review today and a pretty good one at that.
Is the interconnectivity of the human race more than just the fundamentals of the Chinese tale of the red thread? Is the line between what’s real and what’s not as fine as we’ve been led to believe? How do narratives intersect each other without colliding and clashing? What can be uncovered, discovered, and even learned in a short period of time?
So the blurb doesn’t really give a lot of away about the book so I’ll expand a little. The book is a collection of characters who go about their daily lives, but not always in the stereotypical way that you would expect a book to take. The characters mingle with one another, some will never meet, some we won’t get to know the name of. There are relationships built but it’s more about the stories and the ways that they connect. The book is meant to open our eyes to the relationships we build and then let go every single day, it’s a wonderful way of presenting such an abstract idea.
I liked the way the author made it feel like many of the situations that occur could have easily happened to you, due to the use of both main and secondary characters, especially the stories including strangers. I also liked that the link between the characters wasn’t explored until deeper into the story as this helped to draw in and engage the reader; it feels a little delayed in their connection which allows the reader space to create their own thought process as to the connections and also later in the book we learn more about characters earlier in the book. At times it can be a little confusing but the author really works to contain all the characters.
I should really talk about the characters; there is a real array, there’s Nick who although struggling in his songwriting career might have finally found his break and there is also Baleia a masseuse with an interesting tale and finally Melanie (who I thought was delightful) who can hear heartbeats; there is such a wealth of characters all mixed up and added together. In terms of the writing style it has a very modern and contemporary feel with lots of references to the modern day which I really like in books as it allows us to relate more closely to the characters and the story as a whole.
I guess the only wobble would be that because we don’t quite get to know any of the character, it does make you wonder if the author could have lengthened the stories a little more, or delved a little deeper. For me I was trying to create links and at first it was a difficult read as with each chapter introducing some new we might not really find anything significant about them, but soon I understood the concept of the book more and more and found it easier to just relax and read. There are a few grammatical errors, but not so many that it becomes a distraction; another edit and that could be tightened up easily.
The best way to sum up this book is to think of yourself people watching on the outside of a beautiful café, with a cappuccino and a newspaper, just sat in the sunshine and making little connections between the people you see wandering by. If you’re looking for a book with a really sturdy plot line and character build up then you won’t find it here. What you will find is a really intricate tale that just languidly lets the reader into the lives of numerous different people. It felt fresh and exciting and I’m glad to have read it.
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