Review: Absolutely un-put-down-able
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 12, 2013
Mason Forbes' `Bitter Sweet' is probably one of the best written crime fiction novels I've read recently. Reminiscent of Diablo Cody's bestselling `Candygirl: a Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper', Forbes' `Bitter Sweet' is nevertheless more gripping--and ultimately, deliciously entertaining.At the heart of `Bitter Sweet' is Nina, juggling a life of delicate balance between trying to eke out a living as an escort, trying to finish her studies at the university, and managing the expectations of a wide diversity of clients--from the creepy to the downright foolish. But one day, even that fragile balance is shattered when Nina finds herself entangled in a violent web of deceit, corruption, concupiscence--when she encounters, first hand, some clueless poor girls who are hapless enough to be at the bad receiving end of human trafficking. From there, as the chase intensifies and Nina discovers she's not only fighting for the life of those she has tried to rescue, but also her own, it's basically white-hot thrill--Forbes' writing clearly bears the best genetic strands of, say, John Grisham, in how the author here skilfully ups the ante of suspense and leaves you frantically turning the pages.But aside from the cliff-hangers and the edge-of-your-seat thrill, the novel is, at its best, deeply moving--you get more than a glimpse into the heart-breaking experience of the victims of human trafficking (if you've seen last year's movie, `The Seasoning House' or even Liam Neeson's `Taken', then you "get" what level of "harrowing" Forbes describes here). Add to that is the fact that the "unlikely hero" is a "victim" herself--although the kind in which she has half-chosen her job as an escort--but nevertheless, the layers of meaning that Mason Forbes deftly fleshes out by choosing a character like Nina and enabling her to find redemption in a way that could cost her everything--that, in one word, is touché.I love every shred of `Bitter Sweet'. I can't recommend this too highly. Order a copy today, curl up in a corner, and enjoy getting lost in its rollercoaster of a ride. Five stars, no less.