This is one of those books that just sticks with you, haunts you. There were so many things I loved about this book, and only few things that I didn't like as much.
One of the beautiful elements of the book is the hard, blunt, straightforward narrative that the author provides. The vocabulary, the sentence structure, the characterization and the description and use of words that really places the reader into the entirety of the story. It really breaks down to simple messages: inside all of us is something evil and menacing, waiting to get out. I love that.
To give a quick bio of the author; the author was inspired by the events in the world and on the news surrounding violence, child abuse, death, and was so emotionally inspired by it all that she sat down and created this piece from the point of view of a serial killer that is as disgusted with the world as herself. The serial killer, Evangeline, lurks inside the mind of an innocent and abused farmer's daughter, Angeline. You really get a feel for how Evangeline thinks, since the whole story takes places from inside her head and from the narration seen from Angeline's eyes. How so? Angeline suffers from split personality disorder where when she sleeps, Evangeline takes over and enacts vengeance on the world.
The best way to really give you a taste of what you would be in for when reading this is the very first paragraph of the story. Mind you, it is very explicit: "Dear Friends....I'm going to share with you my earliest memory-- and I only tell you this because, however grotesque, it's important you understand where I'm coming from. So here it is....I'm eleven years old. I'm kneeling in dirt...." And it continues from there to explain that Evangeline was born out of the sexual abuse inflicted on Angeline from her officer uncle.
The story continues to explain that Evangeline sees the darkness and evil in the world. She doesn't censor herself -- she tells it like it is, and it's very brutal and honest. No one steps in to help her. Throughout the first half of the story you really begin to cheer Evangeline on and bond with her -- which shows how twisted we all are. All of us have that part of ourselves that want to get back at the sex offenders and abusers and people who have done us wrong in our lives. So we actually AGREE with what Evangeline is doing. She becomes our hero, our sister, our friend...our vigilante serial killer.
Then the conflict takes over. And that's where the author starts to slip. Mind you, she's still staying consistent on description, on plot details, excellent turning points, and perfect characterization and description of action. But it does feel like the conflict is rushed, the main event not raked through and to keep the reader pulled in. However, she still creates the perfect conclusion -- everyone gets exactly what they deserve, including our beloved hero, and vengeance is still complete. The author was skilled at providing that, and you just can't put the book down until the very end. To tie it all up, the author still rounds the entire story together by creating a pseudonym and making the "believed" author be our beloved hero writing it.
This was a brilliantly done novel. You just can't stop reading it, and the characterization is perfect. The narration is perfect. I read in one review that it is Stephen King like, and I have to disagree. Not because it isn't up to the same quality. but because the authors have different writing styles and techniques that make them talented. This is an excellent story to read, particularly if you want something that is going to capture your attention in the darkest ways and make you shudder with the straight forward honesty that is planted in front of you.
There is sugarcoating anything. No hiding behind the curtains. Everything is lain out before you, and it leaves you to choose between agreeing or disagreeing with our narrator.
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Top reviews from other countries
Liz Lucas
A dark, twisted novel that hides no truth to how the world really is.
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2014Verified Purchase
alcoblog
'Unputdownable' (cliche, I know)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2015Verified Purchase
Ashley Smith
Interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2014Verified Purchase
timB
Worth a read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2015Verified Purchase
Nicole S
Dark and lovely!
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2015Verified Purchase
