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Iman Verjee's Reviews > The Break
The Break
by
by
**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.
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.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
October 5, 2016
– Shelved
