Review: A Very Unusual Book...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 13, 2011
Remnant is not the type of book I usually read--I'm not much for the paranormal, though I remember reading "The Shining" with rapt attention when I was a kid. Remnant is a powerful novel, though, and Kate Genet is an unusual new talent.The book starts with Cass, a young New Zealander on summer vacation from university, visiting her Maori boyfriend's family. She has a sensual, warm relationship with her lover--this part of the book is fun to read. Then the mood abruptly shifts and Cass finds herself completely alone one morning as she wakes up from sleeping outside under the stars. She tries to convince herself that her lover's family have had an emergency but soon realizes that no human being is around anywhere. As she says, "I was suddenly convinced I was the only person left in the world."Cass finds a horse (an engaging presence in the book) and ventures back towards the city. In chapter after chapter, she realizes that the familiar world of civilization around her is disappearing. The early chapters gave me goosebumps, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the exotic New Zealand "bush," although the fear and emotional isolation Cass endures for most of this novel is gruelling and traumatic.I was never sure what was going to happen next, but when Cass finally meets another person, a young woman, and they then quickly develop a deep friendship and chemistry, Remnant became gripping for me, and I raced through the final chapters. There is one more ordeal that the two women must go through, and although it's built up throughout the book, it is still eerie and unexpected. Despite Remnant's paranormal elements, this is an earthy book, filled with realistic dialogue and believable situations; it doesn't romanticize nature, as the natural world is seen as both beautiful and potentially deadly.My only quibble is that the chapters where Cass faces adversity alone could have been shortened a bit. But I loved the book, and am very glad I stumbled upon Ms. Genet's work at Smashwords, otherwise I would never have had the chance to read it!