Review of Jerkwater

[Blessing Odii]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Jerkwater" by Jamie Zerndt.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

In Jerkwater by Jamie Zerndt, Peyton Crane and his son had gone fishing, and Shawna spied on them secretly. Shawna had been monitoring Peyton Crane's movement. This book encompassed different characters. Peyton Crane's best friend seems to know about the murder of her mother. 64-year-old Kay misses her husband, and she talks with him in her head. Douglas was Kay's son who did everything to make sure his mother was in good shape emotionally. Now, Kay, Douglas's mother, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Douglas has to think of how to deal with his mother's condition.

Meanwhile, it was another sorrowful moment for Shawna. Her horse, Seven, died a few minutes after Shawna discovered someone had mixed "foxglove" with Seven’s feed. The death of Seven sparked something in Shawna she had wanted to do all this while. Who could be responsible for Seven's death? What could be in Shawna's mind? Find out in Jerkwater by Jamie Zerndt.

The book seems like a mixture of different plots. While reading, I was awed by how the author settled so much on Kay and Norm. The death of a loved one could cause depression. Kay went through some lapses due to the death of her husband. She even tends to think her late husband is in the house periodically. Honestly, if the dead could come back to life, Kay would do everything to have Norm beside her.

It was incredibly admirable of the author to bring two lonely characters together. Kay and Shawna's closeness was another part of the book I liked. Also, I love the uniqueness that the author ascribed to each character. It makes the storyline look genuine and luring to read.

When Jenna told Douglas about her marriage experience with Matt, her story was short, but it remarkably caught my interest. Abusive marriages, whether verbally or physically, can cause significant damage emotionally. Jenna's reaction to such a tumultuous marriage was quite the best decision. I hope those in abusive relationships will learn from this.

I sincerely found it hard to understand the essence of this book. I find it difficult to discern the objective of this story. At some points, I almost lost interest in the book. The scenes in the story concentrated so much on the dead. For instance, Kay always thought about Norm, her late husband. Even at a point in the book, she had a flashback of when Norm had told Douglas a bedtime story. What displeased me most was how the author added the write-up of the bedtime story to the book. This took up to four pages in the book.

Chapter eighteen was quite an interesting part to read. However, this part was not fun-filled. But, considering what happened in Peyton Crane's room, it would have been more intriguing to watch this scene in a movie.

Jerkwater by Jamie Zerndt was a smooth read for me until I started to experience some glitches. The book was professionally edited. But due to the negative aspect, I would honestly rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to those who enjoy thriller books on reminiscences of a loved one.

******
Jerkwater
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Bookfest101]

I like your review. It's long and detailed but I think I will pass. This book isn't for me.

[Amy Luman]

Everyone needs a friend. I don’t have much experience with Alzheimer’s so I don’t pretend to know how to deal with it. I think that if Kay’s experiences with Norm, even though he’s dead, make her happy, who does it hurt?

[Amiczy Heaven]

This looks like a very sad book. Whilst I like your review, I don’t think I can read a sad book now.

[Aisha Yakub]

I'm not sure this is a book for me. I enjoyed reading your review.

[Marsha JJ]

This doesn't seem like the kind of book I would enjoy -- not my genre for sure. Thanks for sharing your review.