Review: The Character Thickens
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 28, 2011
There are 2 basic types of fiction: character-driven & plot-driven. Alison Jean Ash sucked me in; I thought I'd get into her plot. Wrong. She makes Elise interesting enough that I wanted to know where she'd go. When she introduced the monkeys, I knew something was up, but I wasn't sure what. Ash's narrative language is exquisite; she took me to places I've never been before, all the while thinking they're actual locales--wrong! Never once did she hint to me I was reading interior monologue ala Joyce--because that's not what she accomplished. Rather, she correlated Elise's interior with a fictional exterior worthy of the finest painters, like Rembrandt, Monet or Dali. John Donne would adore this work! I do. A writer myself, I'm jealous of Ash's ability to 'suck me in' to believe I'm reading one type of story while treating me to another. I want a sequel about the monkeys! Jean: I'll bet you can't pull that off! (I have a feeling I'm wrong...)This is writing at its finest. Don't miss it.