Review: Strong concept, good execution, needs editing
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 29, 2013
FULL DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free during promotional sale.Allow me to send half of the potential readers packing right now: "Come Out Tonight" is written in first person. I know this turns a lot of people off, and I'm sure that they're not even reading this anymore, so we move on to why first person can turn people off: The author has the occasional trouble grappling with "voice". Though I respect the growth of the characters over the course of the book, they sometimes speak slightly out of character - and I was never entirely sure who they were narrating to. There was a "you've gotta believe me" once or twice, and I never knew who the "you" was. Was it me?That aside, the first person narrative was important, because this novel distinctly requires getting into the headspace of the characters, and I think Ms. Rozanski accomplished that with aplomb. Her greatest triumph may have been truly making her characters believable - protagonists, not heroes. "Good guys" and "bad guys" make for weak stories in a day and age where complexity is a common requirement, and the author really stepped up to the plate.Now, without giving away too much of the plot, I can say that the ending was in equal parts brilliant and maddening: Some portions of the end were genius, others, I felt, were weakly contrived. Fortunately, the journey was quite compelling (which is what really pushed this review from 3 to 4 stars). The story is about a mystery, but is not a mystery in itself - it truly is about how the ending is reached, rather than what the ending is. If you're looking for a proper "whodunit" though, this isn't it.There are definitely a few elements of science fiction in "Come Out Tonight", but Rozanski avoids most of the technobabble, and the higher level words she does use are explained quite clearly and succinctly, which is much appreciated. I have very little science background, but was able to follow the ideas expressed without trouble.The alternating perspectives (the story is told by two people) was both helpful and problematic. At times, having two voices provided added insight, information, and perspective. Occasionally however, it created for skippable, redundant scenes. Another round of editing would have done this book a good turn - aside from the small aforementioned issues, there was the occasional mechanical problem as well, though nothing that really got in the way.Conclusion: Certainly a page-turner, and "Come Out Tonight" presents some exciting new ideas. It's not successful on every count, but it's definitely worth the read. If anything needs clarifying, please don't hesitate to let me know in the comment section below - I respond quickly!