So, for those of you that follow the blog on a regular basis, you have likely read my review of the first few chapters of my friend Natasja’s book. If you haven’t, go here to read it.
I finished the rest of the book a few weeks ago, and have been working on this review since. Obviously, I remain biased by the fact that Natasja is my best friend and therefore, I’m going to love the book regardless. But removing that bias, I can say that it is a good book; it’s an easy read, in terms of length but within that “easiness,” there are layers of complexity: be it within the characters, the situation they find themselves in and the eventual understanding they come to about one another, which leads to a rather interesting resolution to the whole book (I won’t spoil it, don’t worry).
I’m not going to do what I did in the first post, and go chapter by chapter with a review, as I feel it would give too much away. Instead, I’ll comment on broader themes and let you get your own copy to read the specifics.
At its core, this is a story of understanding, after constant misunderstandings. Be it Colin gaining a better understanding of his sister, or Cass gaining a better understanding of Colin, his friends and even her relationship with the people who purport to be her “friends”. The book takes “walking a mile in another person’s shoes” to its extreme, with gentle humour and lessons along the way.
Being 24 years old, I am starting to become removed from my experiences as a teenager. Of course, I remember high school and some things that happened, but the angst, drama and growing pains of those years are behind me. Reading this book takes you back to those days, but doesn’t thrust you in them, bringing up bad memories. Instead, you get an overhead view but at the same time are thrust deep inside the minds of these two, very different but also similar, characters who have to figure out a difficult situation and find a way to solve the unexplainable: how they can return to their own bodies.
The prose in the book is perfect: it isn’t simple that it makes the book seem like a basic read, but it isn’t complex that it makes the story unbelievable. After all, if teenage characters started talking in big words and complex sentences, something would be seriously wrong… Natasja blends complex thoughts that the two face with easy, understandable prose that immerses the reader and really does make it feel like you have gotten deep inside the thoughts of these two characters.
Of course, I remain biased in asking readers to pick up a copy of the book, but I firmly believe that this is a story anybody can enjoy: from teenagers to adults, the story is moving, makes you think and is fantastic. I’m very proud of Natasja for putting this work out there and while it isn’t easy, she will succeed with future novels – and I’m lucky enough to have a signed copy of her very first one.
Chronicles of a Gin and Tonic Drinker 