Review of Just Die
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Manuel Cota
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- Latest Review: Just Die by E Alan Fleischauer
Review of Just Die
[Following is a volunteer review of "Just Die" by E Alan Fleischauer.]
There are times when people wonder what they would actually do if given the power to decide who lives and who dies. Just Die by E. Alan Fleischauer explores the question from a curious perspective. It tells the story of Jake Silver, a financial advisor who, just as he is retiring, suffers a stroke. When he wakes up at the hospital it does not take him long to discover that he has a new and strange ability: he can point his finger at someone, utter the words “just die” and the person falls dead to the ground. This power places him, and those he considers close, on a path he could have never imagined.
Fleischauer colud have made the story feel like a thriller. He could have even introduced much more religious themes. However, he chose a protagonist with the mind and personality of a common man. Furthermore, the consequences on Jake had always the right amount of realism for the story to actually make the reader wonder “if I had these ability, would I make the same decisions?”.
The main reason I can state that this is a great book is that it keeps the author reflecting and pondering on the ethics and morality of Jake’s decisions. It even made me wonder what I would have done if I were one of the people close to Jake, suddenly seeing him with this power. This kind of mix between fiction and reality is not easy to achieve.
As enjoyable as the book is, it is not perfect. The book wastes a few paragraphs explaining unnecessary details. Some paragraphs describe the characters engaging in a dialogue in which they are repeating what the author already knows. The previous pages may have described something that Jake did, and the next page he is explaining it to another character. The reader ends up reading the same events again. It does not happen frequently through the whole story, but it is something to be noted.
The only other flaw that I would care to mention is the fact that the cover conveys a totally different kind of tale. The story never gives enough of the spotlight to supernatural themes, as the cover might suggest. I strongly recommend an image that incites less “terror”, since that is evidently not the book's intention.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, although I did consider giving it 4 stars. The story is capable of making the reader reflect on moral questions without the reader realizing. Were it not for the few errors and the previously mentioned flaws, I would have given it the full score.
The book has few obscenities. However, it also touches some strong topics, such as drug abuse, sexual abuse, murder, suicide, etc. Therefore, I would not recommend this to early teenagers. It is a good option for late teenagers or young adults if they are already accustomed to this kind of topics. To them, I highly recommend Just Die.
******
Just Die
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
There are times when people wonder what they would actually do if given the power to decide who lives and who dies. Just Die by E. Alan Fleischauer explores the question from a curious perspective. It tells the story of Jake Silver, a financial advisor who, just as he is retiring, suffers a stroke. When he wakes up at the hospital it does not take him long to discover that he has a new and strange ability: he can point his finger at someone, utter the words “just die” and the person falls dead to the ground. This power places him, and those he considers close, on a path he could have never imagined.
Fleischauer colud have made the story feel like a thriller. He could have even introduced much more religious themes. However, he chose a protagonist with the mind and personality of a common man. Furthermore, the consequences on Jake had always the right amount of realism for the story to actually make the reader wonder “if I had these ability, would I make the same decisions?”.
The main reason I can state that this is a great book is that it keeps the author reflecting and pondering on the ethics and morality of Jake’s decisions. It even made me wonder what I would have done if I were one of the people close to Jake, suddenly seeing him with this power. This kind of mix between fiction and reality is not easy to achieve.
As enjoyable as the book is, it is not perfect. The book wastes a few paragraphs explaining unnecessary details. Some paragraphs describe the characters engaging in a dialogue in which they are repeating what the author already knows. The previous pages may have described something that Jake did, and the next page he is explaining it to another character. The reader ends up reading the same events again. It does not happen frequently through the whole story, but it is something to be noted.
The only other flaw that I would care to mention is the fact that the cover conveys a totally different kind of tale. The story never gives enough of the spotlight to supernatural themes, as the cover might suggest. I strongly recommend an image that incites less “terror”, since that is evidently not the book's intention.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, although I did consider giving it 4 stars. The story is capable of making the reader reflect on moral questions without the reader realizing. Were it not for the few errors and the previously mentioned flaws, I would have given it the full score.
The book has few obscenities. However, it also touches some strong topics, such as drug abuse, sexual abuse, murder, suicide, etc. Therefore, I would not recommend this to early teenagers. It is a good option for late teenagers or young adults if they are already accustomed to this kind of topics. To them, I highly recommend Just Die.
******
Just Die
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Just Die by E Alan Fleischauer
