Review: Raw, powerful and devastating
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 21, 2011
4.5 out of 5 stars. An utterly intense read - at times, my stomach was tied in knots thinking of what might happen next. Yes, it started slowly, although I have to admit I loved the irreverent first-person narrative of the main character, Andrew Ashton, even when there was a lot of information being fed to me. But then, about halfway through, I just couldn't put the book down - it was addictive and disturbing, all at the same time.MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW:Andrew Ashton is young and privileged. In spite of the setup blurb which portrayed him a bit like a spoiled brat, he's actually a kind-hearted kid who is growing up in a society that he is finding increasingly grim. And grim it is - a world in which slavery is accepted as punishment for even the most minor of offenses and in which, as in Victorian times, a child could be sold off to pay his or her parents' debts.When Andrew finds himself at the mercy of his bastard of a stepfather, he does some pretty horrible things to protect himself, his half-brother, and the stepbrother (Davey) with whom he has fallen deeply and completely in love. This frightening and horrible experience, however, gives Andrew his life's mission, which we learn about as an historical afterthought in an extended epilogue of sorts.There are some flaws in this engaging story, most of which are minor, including typos and formatting that could be easily fixed, but which don't really distract. There were some long stretches of background about the concept of slavery which might have been better placed in smaller bits in the main story itself. My only real issue, however,was that the plot was SO intense overall that when we finally get some resolution to the romance, it's pretty thin/unsatisfying. True, the romance is secondary to the morality play, but I still wanted it to burn with the same intensity as the rest of the work.The epilogue is nice, in a sort of "where are they now?" way, but it doesn't hold a candle to the rest of the book. Andrew's narrative is so accessible and agonizing in places that the wrap-up seemed a bit clinical. Still, it was a nice coda to the dark and haunting universe the author created.Overall, an outstanding and memorable read. Raw, powerful and devastating.