Review of You, The People
Posted: 19 Aug 2021, 17:25
[Following is a volunteer review of "You, The People" by Pablo Digenio.]
You, The People is a collection of six short stories with different plots. The stories have different sets of characters too. Their only cross-cutting feature is their shared themes. First, I will offer a word of caution, do not be fooled by the innocently crafted title. This is not a children's book. After you are hooked, be ready to be dragged along on a journey to the furthest, darkest and most intimate reaches of the human mind.
The characters are normal people living ordinary lives. They only seem to have terrible personalities. Rebecca is the mean and egocentric boss of an insurance company, while Alfred is a war veteran who murdered innocent children during the war. Gary is in the business of killing prostitutes for sexual pleasure, while Mike is a selfish contractor with a knack for cutting corners. Johnny is a lazy video game junkie who feels alive only when in the virtual world and lastly, Teresa is a hopeless drunk who ends up killing an innocent family while drunk-driving. These people depict the epitome of human depravity. The only thing that beats their collective depravity is the payback they each endure when karma comes calling. At some point in their journey through hell, they realize how different their lives would have been had they sacrificed a little of their time to atone for their numerous misdeeds.
In the beginning, I thought that these stories were mere fairy tales and fables, the likes of which we were told as children to scare us into obedience. Well, how wrong was I? These are stories of real people with ordinary emotions as they go about their ordinary lives, albeit inhumanely. Thanks to the brilliant way the author developed his characters, I was able to match the personalities of some of his characters to those of a few of my friends. I, however, would never wish for them to be in the character's shoes. Illustrations by Martin Digenio that preface each story provide a clue to each story's content. I found this appealing too.
Going by what I gleaned from Pablo's bio, it is clear that he has outdone himself here. How he comes up with this twisted content is anyone's guess. It is not every day that we come across as scary events, as he conjures here. Therefore, I am obliged to commend his wild imagination. Amidst the gore that comprises large portions of these stories, Pablo Digenio provides comic relief by using humorous phrases once in a while. These light moments helped to lighten my mood. For context, in page 40 there is a description of Mike as he wakes up in the morning, “he opened his eyes, they were red and glossy with hangover. His lips slowly opened for his first vocalization of the day, it was glorious: a burp the likes of which wins prizes.” I found this hilarious considering the overall nature of this particular story. I also noticed extensive use of homonyms and homophones. This is an indication of Pablo's knowledge of the English language and his mastery of its usage. Overall, I think this is a well-written book with a positive message to all of our society, irrespective of the unimaginable depiction of the ultimate consequences of how we choose to live our lives.
The editorial work is good. There are very few grammatical errors that I found in this book. These few errors seem to be very subtle and can generally be overlooked considering their minute nature. On matters concerning sexual content and profanity, I think the author went overboard. Graphic content features prominently in these stories. I encountered many horrific sexual violence instances that made me quite uncomfortable. All the stories have content that is beyond the grasp of children and teenagers. Only mature and non-conservative adults, especially those who like paranormal activities, should read this book. I will rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I base this high rating entirely on my assumption and belief that this book is exclusively available to the fitting audience I have described above.
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You, The People
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
You, The People is a collection of six short stories with different plots. The stories have different sets of characters too. Their only cross-cutting feature is their shared themes. First, I will offer a word of caution, do not be fooled by the innocently crafted title. This is not a children's book. After you are hooked, be ready to be dragged along on a journey to the furthest, darkest and most intimate reaches of the human mind.
The characters are normal people living ordinary lives. They only seem to have terrible personalities. Rebecca is the mean and egocentric boss of an insurance company, while Alfred is a war veteran who murdered innocent children during the war. Gary is in the business of killing prostitutes for sexual pleasure, while Mike is a selfish contractor with a knack for cutting corners. Johnny is a lazy video game junkie who feels alive only when in the virtual world and lastly, Teresa is a hopeless drunk who ends up killing an innocent family while drunk-driving. These people depict the epitome of human depravity. The only thing that beats their collective depravity is the payback they each endure when karma comes calling. At some point in their journey through hell, they realize how different their lives would have been had they sacrificed a little of their time to atone for their numerous misdeeds.
In the beginning, I thought that these stories were mere fairy tales and fables, the likes of which we were told as children to scare us into obedience. Well, how wrong was I? These are stories of real people with ordinary emotions as they go about their ordinary lives, albeit inhumanely. Thanks to the brilliant way the author developed his characters, I was able to match the personalities of some of his characters to those of a few of my friends. I, however, would never wish for them to be in the character's shoes. Illustrations by Martin Digenio that preface each story provide a clue to each story's content. I found this appealing too.
Going by what I gleaned from Pablo's bio, it is clear that he has outdone himself here. How he comes up with this twisted content is anyone's guess. It is not every day that we come across as scary events, as he conjures here. Therefore, I am obliged to commend his wild imagination. Amidst the gore that comprises large portions of these stories, Pablo Digenio provides comic relief by using humorous phrases once in a while. These light moments helped to lighten my mood. For context, in page 40 there is a description of Mike as he wakes up in the morning, “he opened his eyes, they were red and glossy with hangover. His lips slowly opened for his first vocalization of the day, it was glorious: a burp the likes of which wins prizes.” I found this hilarious considering the overall nature of this particular story. I also noticed extensive use of homonyms and homophones. This is an indication of Pablo's knowledge of the English language and his mastery of its usage. Overall, I think this is a well-written book with a positive message to all of our society, irrespective of the unimaginable depiction of the ultimate consequences of how we choose to live our lives.
The editorial work is good. There are very few grammatical errors that I found in this book. These few errors seem to be very subtle and can generally be overlooked considering their minute nature. On matters concerning sexual content and profanity, I think the author went overboard. Graphic content features prominently in these stories. I encountered many horrific sexual violence instances that made me quite uncomfortable. All the stories have content that is beyond the grasp of children and teenagers. Only mature and non-conservative adults, especially those who like paranormal activities, should read this book. I will rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I base this high rating entirely on my assumption and belief that this book is exclusively available to the fitting audience I have described above.
******
You, The People
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon