The City of Flickering Light

by Juliette Fay
Oct 23-Nov10, 2019

In the span of just one year, two strippers burlesque dancers and one tagalong get everything they ever wanted. That shallow description pretty much sums up the effort given to forming the plot of this book. So many reviews that I read lauded the author for her extensive research (if I read one more review that says how well-researched this book is!), but none of that really matters when the final result is so poorly executed. The descriptions and dialogue are meant to suggest the essence of the roaring 20s, but instead it comes off sophomoric and quite corny.

"She nodded and looked away to hide the gratitude in her eyes."

Huh?

Pick a hot topic and you'll find it within the pages. Rape, murder, pregnancy and drug abuse are just the beginning of the list. The result is almost laughably predictable, and again, seemingly a tactic to imbue a sign of the times. It's as if the author didn't give the reader enough credit to understand what was happening without dumbing it down  – I'm looking at you, Author's Note. Thanks, but I think I got it.

"The silence from Irene’s side of the bed was loud."

Well OK, then.

Overall, a completely non-challenging, quick read of an implausible "isn't-Hollywood-grand" stereotype. 2-1/2 stars.

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The Water Cure

by Sophie Mackintosh
Oct 15-21, 2019

I don't get it. Dystopia? Nope. Sadistic women? Totally. But with vague descriptions and insinuations of the world around them, this book leaves the reader with more questions than answers, and not in a good way. Although I tore through The Water Cure, it was only because the writing was so shallow and asked very little of its readers. The author seemed to be under the assumption that the reader would know what the hell she was talking about.

The plot centers around three sisters and their parents living remotely on an island to supposedly shield themselves from toxins on the mainland and the violent men who inhabit it. But there is no solid proof that it's a dystopian society, and no real desire to find out more. Instead, it's a tactic that attempts to add intrigue and fails. What in truth is flat-out abuse in a cult created by ruthless parents, filling space with the abstract of "what is really happening in the world" was only distracting and really confusing.

"I am always alternating between invincibility and the sick fear of dying."

I think readers who are true fans of the dystopian genre are far more outraged than I am. I'm simply annoyed by all the hype and false comparisons to better novels.

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