Review of Redhead

[Nzube Chizoba Okeke]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Redhead" by Ian Enters.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Redhead by Ian Enters followed the story of John Edwards, who suffered from depression. John had been imprisoned for two years. This situation contributed to the breakdown of his marriage to his wife, Monica Muriel, and estrangement from his children — his son, James, and daughter, Joanna. After John's release from confinement, enjoying freedom became a journey of paranoia and hallucinations. He struggled to differentiate between reality and his imagination. His sessions with Doctor Rhodes occasionally broke this routine. In his struggles, the 'Redhead' was a prominent character. However, the question was whether the 'Redhead' was real or a construct of his ailing mind.

The author had no shortage of smooth-sounding words, and the entire storytelling was replete with similes, metaphors, and wordy descriptions. The author's language was refined and came through as the sophisticated writing of a highly educated individual. Unfortunately, the words were a combination of complex grammar that took away any form of simplicity from the story. The consequence was that an average reader might face the arduous task of sifting through the author's words to find the book's plot. Some aspects of the story might be lost on readers in trying to wade through the author's sophisticated vocabulary. Much of the book felt like spoken word poetry with lofty expressions. The short blurb of the story provided insight into the puzzle that this book might be perceived as.

Redhead was a 'feelings' kind of book. As I 'felt' my way through this story, some emotions that I perceived strongly were melancholy, confusion, and resignation. These emotions exuded out of the character of John Edwards. His struggles were real, and his pain was palpable — even through the complex language. I felt his frustration and yearning to be loved and believed by those around him. The story spent a lot of time on the mental ruminations of John's character. Therefore, it was not easy to identify what was real and what was a construct of his mind. Through it all, I saw the true John Edwards or who he intended to be — a kind, considerate, resilient, and stubborn artist with some twisted sense of humor.

John Edwards' story was sober and aroused introspection into some prevalent issues of human existence. For instance, it bolstered the need for conversations around mental health. The story touched on subjects of abuse and societal definitions of beauty as showcased by the character of Elsie, one of the women that lived in the "Tower House" with John. John himself guided Elsie towards a path of self-love, leaving readers with a valuable lesson on looking within for beauty.

John's journey toward healing was a somewhat emotional one. Readers would be sobered by his story and pick up some wise lessons. Redhead was professionally edited. It was a symbolic story of a man's journey through mental distortions, abuse, and possible redemption. Readers best suited for this book would be those interested in stories about mental illness and health. I'd rate Redhead four out of five stars. I deducted one star because of the complex language.

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Redhead
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[Favour Hillz]

This book's summary is captivating and intriguing. The author did justice in making it an amazing book indeed. Thanks for a wonderful review. Good job.

[Patty Allread]

Unfortunately, the words were a combination of complex grammar that took away any form of simplicity from the story. The consequence was that an average reader might face the arduous task of sifting through the author's words to find the book's plot.

Thanks for the good review. What you said about the author's writing style makes sense, as the style doesn't seem fitting for the storyline.

[Stephanie Stones]

This is an interesting and well thought of review. I would love to try out this book and know more about the fascinating things in it. This is an interesting storyline.

[Adeoluwa Adebusuyi]

This is a good and well written review. You captured all the important components of the book and I would definitely love to try out this book. Well done.

[Favour Hillz]

This review is well detailed and captivating. It contains the important information about the book. I'm looking forward to reading this book. Thanks for a wonderful review.