Review by baezarce -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
Posted: 07 Apr 2020, 22:22
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Bloody Book" by Chris Bowen.]
Have you ever wanted to drag a character out of a book and into reality to simply hug them? This is A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen. The story features Maxx, a middle school kid who explores his past through the writing of a school assignment brought on by a professor that inspired him to find that which made him “Stop giving a crap”. It detangles the mind of a teenager that lives through many precarious situations both emotionally and economically and is searching for a way to be heard. Bowen invites us to “Start for the story. Care for the characters. Stay for the twist.” And boy was he right!
This book is one of a kind. It lures you in with the feeling of finding yourself inside the narrator’s mind, sharing his thoughts and feelings while simultaneously, experiencing the catharsis in Maxx’s thoughts as he gnaws through his memories. At some points in the storyline, the jumping back and forth between memories may be disorienting, but I believe this writing style greatly manifests the thought process one might have when attempting to tell a story such as this. I find it fascinating how Chris Bowen manages to organize the storyline in such a way that it fits like pieces of a puzzle, a puzzle where all the pieces are different tones of blue, but every now and then he throws in a bright pink puzzle piece that you are not sure where it should go, and finally, you push in the last piece and you can’t believe your eyes.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not a light read, Maxx will make you think 50 times over every assumption you have ever made of any child, teen or adult that seems not to care about anything. He forces you to open your eyes to the crude reality many of our young students are living today. You will close this book and think “How many of the people that walk past me every day have lived through things like this?”
The book touches multiple sensitive, but very much current themes that are sometimes taken for granted by many: domestic violence, drug abuse, abandonment, depression, poverty, manipulation to name a few. This is definitely not for readers that are looking for a feel-good book. It is raw, it will make you feel shame, it will make you cry, it will make you laugh.
I definitely rate this book a solid 4/4, I have nothing negative to say about it. The editing is precise and clear. The writing transports you. I could not put this book down and gobbled it up in one sitting. I recommend it enormously, this is a read that should be obligatory for students, teachers and parents all over.
Loved it, Thank you Chris Bowen!
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Have you ever wanted to drag a character out of a book and into reality to simply hug them? This is A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen. The story features Maxx, a middle school kid who explores his past through the writing of a school assignment brought on by a professor that inspired him to find that which made him “Stop giving a crap”. It detangles the mind of a teenager that lives through many precarious situations both emotionally and economically and is searching for a way to be heard. Bowen invites us to “Start for the story. Care for the characters. Stay for the twist.” And boy was he right!
This book is one of a kind. It lures you in with the feeling of finding yourself inside the narrator’s mind, sharing his thoughts and feelings while simultaneously, experiencing the catharsis in Maxx’s thoughts as he gnaws through his memories. At some points in the storyline, the jumping back and forth between memories may be disorienting, but I believe this writing style greatly manifests the thought process one might have when attempting to tell a story such as this. I find it fascinating how Chris Bowen manages to organize the storyline in such a way that it fits like pieces of a puzzle, a puzzle where all the pieces are different tones of blue, but every now and then he throws in a bright pink puzzle piece that you are not sure where it should go, and finally, you push in the last piece and you can’t believe your eyes.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not a light read, Maxx will make you think 50 times over every assumption you have ever made of any child, teen or adult that seems not to care about anything. He forces you to open your eyes to the crude reality many of our young students are living today. You will close this book and think “How many of the people that walk past me every day have lived through things like this?”
The book touches multiple sensitive, but very much current themes that are sometimes taken for granted by many: domestic violence, drug abuse, abandonment, depression, poverty, manipulation to name a few. This is definitely not for readers that are looking for a feel-good book. It is raw, it will make you feel shame, it will make you cry, it will make you laugh.
I definitely rate this book a solid 4/4, I have nothing negative to say about it. The editing is precise and clear. The writing transports you. I could not put this book down and gobbled it up in one sitting. I recommend it enormously, this is a read that should be obligatory for students, teachers and parents all over.
Loved it, Thank you Chris Bowen!
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon