Review: True reality
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 2, 2014
In Paradise Island, Mark is a contestant in television reality show molded on The Bachelorette. A group of men compete for the attention, and presumably, the love of a beautiful woman. We get to see some of the contests: wind surfing, tug-of-war, a treasure hunt. We see group dates. We see some of the backstage drama among the men,The heart of the story, though, is Mark’s internal struggle. Five years before, his wife died, and he blames himself for her death. He signed on as a contestant as a way of moving away from the darkness in which he has been living.The book is at its best when it deals with Mark, his demons, and his life. In these parts of the story, especially, the writer holds your interest well. You want to know more about Mark. How did his wife die? How was he responsible? Why has her death dragged him down for so long?The taping of the television show provides an clever way of delving into Mark’s past, one that I would not have thought of. I believe that generally, the conflicts on shows such as this one are created by writers rather than contestants, but the author uses this show to show us “true reality.” I liked the way that the author used the show to explore Mark’s problems.I enjoyed reading the book. It was interesting and well-written. My one real concern is that it is, as it claims, a novella rather than a novel. I read it in a single sitting on Sunday afternoon. The story is good, and I think that I would have enjoyed it even more had it been a full-length novelDavid Burnett for The Kindle Book ReviewI received a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.