I started off really liking this book - the setting, the characters, the Bollywood references - but by the 10th chapter, it became laborious, with pagI started off really liking this book - the setting, the characters, the Bollywood references - but by the 10th chapter, it became laborious, with pages of unnecessary description and absolutely no compelling action. In fact, by pg. 150, certain storylines (Mr Jalal's & Vishnu's in particular) became silly and ridiculous and I just wanted it to end.
I just kept asking myself - what is the point of all this?
After mulling over it for several days, The Break seems slightly weaker to me in retrospect than it did while I was reading it.
~THE GOOD STUFF**3.5**
After mulling over it for several days, The Break seems slightly weaker to me in retrospect than it did while I was reading it.
~THE GOOD STUFF~ This is definitely a page-turner - I read it all night long, I read it on the subway, I read it while waiting for the traffic lights to change - Vermette has done an excellent job of constructing a fast-paced, thrilling plot that just compels you to keep reading.
The themes of pain, abuse, trauma and the stories & fear that we are forced to carry as women and people of colour were very well explored and the language (despite the constant repetition of the word 'gross' which bugged me slightly) was beautiful, simple and poetic.
~THE NOT-SO-GOOD STUFF~
PLOT: While the novel definitely has a strong plot, I ultimately felt let down. After so much careful crafting, building up of the story, its ending felt very rushed and predictable, leaving me unsatisfied.
TOO MANY CHARACTERS - I'm a big fan of the multi-character perspective and I understand that writing from the POV of 10 characters is a tremendous challenge and sadly, one I feel that Vermette fell slightly short of. (Though it would be remiss of me not to mention I highly admire Vermette for the incredible amount of respect and empathy she has for all her characters.)
There are compelling characters - Phoenix & Tommy especially - complex, rich, heartbreaking - but many of the others including Stella, Lou, Paul & Cheryl, were significantly less well-developed and in the end, all sounded very similar and stereotypical so that I was unable to form any attachment or even really care about them. And I just didn't think she needed the POV from a dead woman - although these were some of the most beautifully written passages, they distracted me and constantly pulled me out of the story.
~ CONCLUSION ~ Despite the novel's flaws, there is no denying that Vermette is a great storyteller- and while I was left slightly underwhelmed by The Break, I'm glad that I read it and I look forward to reading more of the author's work.
I hesitated from writing this review because this book was so good, I felt like words couldn't do it justice.
Perhaps it was the beautiful writing thaI hesitated from writing this review because this book was so good, I felt like words couldn't do it justice.
Perhaps it was the beautiful writing that was compelling while never bordering on self-indulging. Or the way everything is slowly revealed, yet just at the right time, so that you never feel lost, only curious. I appreciated that mostly all of the information was given through dialogue, so that, as a reader, I felt as if I was the one unravelling the story, slowly understanding it just as the main character was - and just like the main character, this story was intriguing, mysterious and oh-so-human. It felt honest and real - and perhaps that is what I appreciated most about it.
I've read it twice since the first time and every reading just gets better - just gives me more insight and understanding.
Recommend it to anyone looking for a character-driven novel, a new understanding of a very important social issue and simply a fast-paced, racy read that will keep you up into the early hours of the morning. ...more
I had really high hopes for this novel. The topic is one that I'm very interested in & one that is not talked about enough. I had hoped **3.6 rating**
I had really high hopes for this novel. The topic is one that I'm very interested in & one that is not talked about enough. I had hoped that Sahota would be able to address the complexities of illegal immigration but instead, all the characters and their situations tended towards being stereotypical and flat.
Also, the ending was poorly done. It was very abrupt and I didn't see any need to jump to the future - let the reader wonder and form their own conclusions about where the characters ended up - it just made me feel cheated.
There were parts that I loved - especially the first half - and especially the character of Tochi - and Sahota clearly has an instinctive sense of storytelling - but unfortunately this novel just did not live up to my expectations and I still can't understand how it was shortlisted for the Booker prize. ...more
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