Review: Glazed City Eyes
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 28, 2013
Glazed City Eyes by Preston Smith and Jacob McKinley is a 348 page book written in third person, past tense. At nearly thirty, things aren't exactly ideal for Jackson McCormack. He reflects on his life back in college when he felt that anything was possible, there were so many options available to him. That's when he realized his true passion for writing, especially poems (several are included). He has battled depression for years now, had little self-confidence and he'd picked up a bad habit of using cocaine to mask it all. Luckily, his girlfriend Terra AKA Byte, has stayed by his side.The beginning of the story is fairly grim. Smith and McKinley have a keen ability to draw sympathy for Jackson right off the bat. The writing flowed well. I felt like I was able to get to know Jackson and could root for him and yell at him. The dialogue fits his character and is completely believable. There are several pages in a row without dialogue but the narrative mostly drove the story forward rather than having past events dumped in.Jackson meets Julius, a very mature, wise man who helps him with his poems and gives him a new take on life. Jackson ponders the big life questions. He experiences many ups and downs as he discovers clarity and direction.