Review: I couldn't get past the amateurish writing
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 05 31, 2014
Mitch Goth's "Delicate Rain" is the story of a runaway teenage girl who falls in with a group of drug-dealing outlaws. As premises go, this is right up my alley, so when I saw that I could download the book at no cost, I jumped at the opportunity.I shouldn't have been so eager. I'm no stickler for perfection, but I do expect the books I read to meet a certain standard of professionalism. Unfortunately, "Delicate Rain" falls short in almost every respect. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors abound, to say nothing of run-on sentences, unnecessary stylistic flourishes, and the dreaded "head hopping" I and so many readers find objectionable. It's just not good writing, folks.I could go on but to belabor the point would just be cruel. Let's just say that when I read that the protagonist's parents had achieved a good "report" with the police sergeant investigating their daughter's disappearance, I was done. That was at the 67% point, by the way, lest anyone think I didn't give the book a fair shot.Beyond the technical issues, I had a real problem with the protagonist's motives, as her actions often didn't seem to make sense within the context of the story. I just couldn't imagine her doing half the things she does. I also had a problem with the overall believability of the plot. This premise begs for a gritty and realistic treatment, but it all felt very contrived and artificial to me. I would not be surprised to learn that the writer has no actual knowledge of the world he was depicting.Still, I'm giving this book two stars because it's not an absolute disaster. I suspect the writer intended this to be a cautionary tale, and if so his motives were certainly commendable. He simply needs to spend a few more years honing his craft, and reading as many good books as he can, before sending his own work out into the world.