Originally posted at http://rockread.westofmars.com
I dont remember where I first heard of Farai Chideyas Kiss the Sky. I do know I had really high hopes for this story, of a woman struggling with herself and her music career. Sophie is the sort of character you initially want to root for: shes divorced from her music partner, but theyve found a way to co-exist maybe they are even comfortable with their status. Shes got a cool job, at least when the book opens, and shes willing to work to regain what she had, musically.
It should have worked. Even the fact that Ms. Chideya is a Harvard grad who has a published a number of non-fiction books should have been enough to save this one.
I was shocked to see how many sentences started with a verb. Went to the club. Stepped outside for a smoke. (Now, Im making these sentences up, so dont go looking through the book for them) Yes, okay, maybe some of this is establishing Sophies voice, but frankly, it was too much. It became annoyingly repetitive, and it got in the way of the story.
This wasnt as horrible a thing as I had first feared. Sophie is a mess: shes bulimic, broke, and bull-headed. Shes so far in denial about her life that I couldnt spend time with her. I had to put the book down.
Its one thing to want to read an autobiography about someone whos a bigger train wreck. We have a reason to want to like them we have heard the music they make. Theres a connection there.
Thus, in fiction, its imperative for the reader to be able to relate to a character who has large amounts of baggage. We need to like them, care about them, root for them. They need to have some sort of drive, some sort of forward motion either about them or their plot. If its going to be a plot-driven book, the character shouldnt get in the way of that. Sadly, Sophie does.
I needed a reason to like Sophie. But I find myself intolerant of women characters, especially, who are broke but continue to spend money as if its no big deal. And then the sex scene with Leon really, I had to ask if Sophie had any self-respect whatsoever.
If she doesnt respect herself, why should I?
Kiss the Sky became a Did Not Finish.
I dont remember where I first heard of Farai Chideyas Kiss the Sky. I do know I had really high hopes for this story, of a woman struggling with herself and her music career. Sophie is the sort of character you initially want to root for: shes divorced from her music partner, but theyve found a way to co-exist maybe they are even comfortable with their status. Shes got a cool job, at least when the book opens, and shes willing to work to regain what she had, musically.
It should have worked. Even the fact that Ms. Chideya is a Harvard grad who has a published a number of non-fiction books should have been enough to save this one.
I was shocked to see how many sentences started with a verb. Went to the club. Stepped outside for a smoke. (Now, Im making these sentences up, so dont go looking through the book for them) Yes, okay, maybe some of this is establishing Sophies voice, but frankly, it was too much. It became annoyingly repetitive, and it got in the way of the story.
This wasnt as horrible a thing as I had first feared. Sophie is a mess: shes bulimic, broke, and bull-headed. Shes so far in denial about her life that I couldnt spend time with her. I had to put the book down.
Its one thing to want to read an autobiography about someone whos a bigger train wreck. We have a reason to want to like them we have heard the music they make. Theres a connection there.
Thus, in fiction, its imperative for the reader to be able to relate to a character who has large amounts of baggage. We need to like them, care about them, root for them. They need to have some sort of drive, some sort of forward motion either about them or their plot. If its going to be a plot-driven book, the character shouldnt get in the way of that. Sadly, Sophie does.
I needed a reason to like Sophie. But I find myself intolerant of women characters, especially, who are broke but continue to spend money as if its no big deal. And then the sex scene with Leon really, I had to ask if Sophie had any self-respect whatsoever.
If she doesnt respect herself, why should I?
Kiss the Sky became a Did Not Finish.
