Review: Map of the Problematique
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 03 28, 2014
‘Play’ has a few missed steps. Many others have given a run down about the “plot” of the book, so I will not write about it again- instead let’s face the music.Major problems:1.Mal is not likeable. I am sorry, but he is essentially a twenty-something child, which he freely admits throughout the novel, but it doesn’t make him likeable- if anything it makes him annoying. Everything from the way he talks, reacts to adult problems and views friendships/relationships is juvenile. This is all well and good if we (the reader) see the change that happens, but we really don’t. We see this ordinary girl change him- which again stresses the fact that he is a grown, albeit ‘hot’, rich and famous man-child who needed a woman to rear him….what a surprise.2.Anne is almost as bad. Rough childhood, growing up before her time, getting free and taking her sister with her. So basically she has been a mother for a very long time, so of course she is up to the task of mothering another child. More importantly though, Anne is boring. I found myself rushing through her tale of woe, and her conversations with her neighbor/friend, sister and man-whore friend Reece. Oh and let’s not forget the total cliché of you don’t know what’s in front of you until someone else notices- ah!3.The pace of the book is so slow at times it took me five day to finish (I usually read a book 1-2 days) so that is sayingsomething. I liked ‘Lick’ well enough to give the author another go, but I am not so sure after this one. The time in the book is short- I mean I think it all happens within a week and then we come back a month later or something.4.The relationship is cute, the banter in the beginning enjoyable, but once they ‘step it up’ there wasn’t much depth to their union- I mean there was not much to them as individuals, so I guess this is why their relationship just didn’t do it for me.5.The family issue was pretty obvious from the beginning, but most of the time I was thinking, ‘put on your big boy panties and deal with it’- really to both Mal and Anne. I know this is meant to be ‘real-life fiction’ but come on. This ‘issue’ was used as a plot device that did not provide enough to drive the story. It was really unnecessary- I would believe the crazy without any drama.There was a set up for the next book, but I doubt I will be back.1.5/5 StarsLanguage: HighSexuality: Moderate-High