Book Review 23
May. 29th, 2011 06:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drownedinlightTitle: Simon Says
By: Elaine Marie Alphin
Summary: Charles, a young painter, aspires to learn the secrets to the life long game of Simon Says he has always played with himself around others. Do do this, he seeks out admission to Whitmore, the school that houses the famous, young author Graeme Brandt, who he believes has discovered the secrets of the game.
Wow, this was deep, and troubling. And it reminded me of how I feel sometimes, in the darkest pits of my brain, struggling to express my art in my own way and not care what others think, but still wanting to put it out there for the world to see. This book is definately for the artists of the world. Especially the young artists of the world, but I could see how the older ones who have gone through this and still maybe be going through it can look back and say, "you know that was me."
The tone of Simon Says is very conversational, and I don't quite want to say it is eloquent in that it is not what usual eloquence sounds like, but it flows very deeply together between the two narrators (Charles, and Graeme, through his journal entries), and I have to say that Alphin writes it like it's happening directly to Charles. Not like he's recalling, like it's happening. I believe that is a major strength of this book that it is a life drawn out for people to see. Especially with the event that begins part two (I really do not have the heart to ruin it).
I won't say that I liked how deeply troubled both Charles and Graeme are through out the book, (especially, since, you know I think it reflects on me), but I like what it added to the story. It was a very stark realness. I will also say that Alphin uses an interesting foreshadowing device to predict the first event of part two, but I don't want to ruin it, so I will leave it here for now.
Overall:...I'm a little scared of myself now...in a good way
But, see for yourself: Simon Says
By: Elaine Marie Alphin
Summary: Charles, a young painter, aspires to learn the secrets to the life long game of Simon Says he has always played with himself around others. Do do this, he seeks out admission to Whitmore, the school that houses the famous, young author Graeme Brandt, who he believes has discovered the secrets of the game.
Wow, this was deep, and troubling. And it reminded me of how I feel sometimes, in the darkest pits of my brain, struggling to express my art in my own way and not care what others think, but still wanting to put it out there for the world to see. This book is definately for the artists of the world. Especially the young artists of the world, but I could see how the older ones who have gone through this and still maybe be going through it can look back and say, "you know that was me."
The tone of Simon Says is very conversational, and I don't quite want to say it is eloquent in that it is not what usual eloquence sounds like, but it flows very deeply together between the two narrators (Charles, and Graeme, through his journal entries), and I have to say that Alphin writes it like it's happening directly to Charles. Not like he's recalling, like it's happening. I believe that is a major strength of this book that it is a life drawn out for people to see. Especially with the event that begins part two (I really do not have the heart to ruin it).
I won't say that I liked how deeply troubled both Charles and Graeme are through out the book, (especially, since, you know I think it reflects on me), but I like what it added to the story. It was a very stark realness. I will also say that Alphin uses an interesting foreshadowing device to predict the first event of part two, but I don't want to ruin it, so I will leave it here for now.
Overall:...I'm a little scared of myself now...in a good way
But, see for yourself: Simon Says
