Review of Glass in the Blood
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Ams Strong
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Review of Glass in the Blood
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Glass in the Blood" by John M. Reeves.]
Decades ago in Yemen, a young woman called Fatima birthed a son named Khalid. Fatima hated many aspects of her highly oppressive and conservative culture. Fatima and her family believed she could summon supernatural powers to cast evil on those who offended her. Her ability to conjure up misfortune had become tightly associated with a hue of the moon dubbed Blood Moon. Fast forward to 2022, and Khalid is now a grown-up man working for his uncle Waleed, who runs a glass business with some family members. While overseeing a glass delivery in the Republic of West Africa, Khalid is detained by the Giant, a military general of the republic, on issues related to a faulty glass shipment. To secure Khalid’s release, the Giant requests Waleed and his company fix the faulty shipment, a task requiring the expertise of a British national called Jim Blood. Glass in the Blood by John M. Reeves details the intriguing, thrilling, and funny adventures and investigations of Jim from the Middle East to the Republic of West Africa.
One thing I like about this story is how accurately the author portrays the cultures of the countries, places, and people the story draws inspiration from. The names and behaviours of the characters match the typical patterns seen in conservative Arab countries and dictatorial African countries, making them more relatable. The portrayal of superstitious beliefs, like the legend of the Blood Moon, and the role of Christianity in some characters’ lives, reflects the beliefs often found in many parts of the Middle East and Africa. Another good thing about this book is how humorous some scenes and characters are. Comedy in this book is not overt, and it can take a while before you grasp the cleverly contrived punchlines spread across the book. The Giant has to be the most entertaining and funny character in this book, taking fun in terrorising the local population. I also like how challenging it is to read this book, partly due to the author's use of multiple rare words that compel you to hold a dictionary close by when reading. I learned many new words and British slang from this book. Another challenging aspect of the book is the author’s narrative style, marked by little introduction of the characters or explanations of the plot, letting the reader figure out virtually everything themselves. One thing I disliked about this book is how much of the early chapters focused on Fatima’s childhood, before and after motherhood, which didn’t bring much to the plot development other than understanding Fatima’s relation to the Blood Moon and her family members. This downside doesn’t bother me much, but I wish this section were shorter. One thing that persistently bugged me was the multiple punctuation, typos, and grammatical errors. I think this book deserves another round of editing.
I rate this book four out of five stars. I rate it so for the following reasons: Firstly, it accurately portrays the cultures of the countries and people from which the author drew inspiration, making the story relatable. Secondly, its characters are entertaining and funny. Portions of this book feel like a genuine comedy drama. Thirdly, the author's narrative style allows the reader to figure out the plot themselves, adding complexity that obliges you to read between the lines, since every conversation could potentially uncover crucial plot details. What made me deduct one star from the maximum rating was that this book wasn’t well-edited, making me enjoy it less. This book features multiple instances of non-borderline profanity, violence, and a couple of lightly sexual references. I recommend this book to readers of all religions.
******
Glass in the Blood
View: on Bookshelves
Decades ago in Yemen, a young woman called Fatima birthed a son named Khalid. Fatima hated many aspects of her highly oppressive and conservative culture. Fatima and her family believed she could summon supernatural powers to cast evil on those who offended her. Her ability to conjure up misfortune had become tightly associated with a hue of the moon dubbed Blood Moon. Fast forward to 2022, and Khalid is now a grown-up man working for his uncle Waleed, who runs a glass business with some family members. While overseeing a glass delivery in the Republic of West Africa, Khalid is detained by the Giant, a military general of the republic, on issues related to a faulty glass shipment. To secure Khalid’s release, the Giant requests Waleed and his company fix the faulty shipment, a task requiring the expertise of a British national called Jim Blood. Glass in the Blood by John M. Reeves details the intriguing, thrilling, and funny adventures and investigations of Jim from the Middle East to the Republic of West Africa.
One thing I like about this story is how accurately the author portrays the cultures of the countries, places, and people the story draws inspiration from. The names and behaviours of the characters match the typical patterns seen in conservative Arab countries and dictatorial African countries, making them more relatable. The portrayal of superstitious beliefs, like the legend of the Blood Moon, and the role of Christianity in some characters’ lives, reflects the beliefs often found in many parts of the Middle East and Africa. Another good thing about this book is how humorous some scenes and characters are. Comedy in this book is not overt, and it can take a while before you grasp the cleverly contrived punchlines spread across the book. The Giant has to be the most entertaining and funny character in this book, taking fun in terrorising the local population. I also like how challenging it is to read this book, partly due to the author's use of multiple rare words that compel you to hold a dictionary close by when reading. I learned many new words and British slang from this book. Another challenging aspect of the book is the author’s narrative style, marked by little introduction of the characters or explanations of the plot, letting the reader figure out virtually everything themselves. One thing I disliked about this book is how much of the early chapters focused on Fatima’s childhood, before and after motherhood, which didn’t bring much to the plot development other than understanding Fatima’s relation to the Blood Moon and her family members. This downside doesn’t bother me much, but I wish this section were shorter. One thing that persistently bugged me was the multiple punctuation, typos, and grammatical errors. I think this book deserves another round of editing.
I rate this book four out of five stars. I rate it so for the following reasons: Firstly, it accurately portrays the cultures of the countries and people from which the author drew inspiration, making the story relatable. Secondly, its characters are entertaining and funny. Portions of this book feel like a genuine comedy drama. Thirdly, the author's narrative style allows the reader to figure out the plot themselves, adding complexity that obliges you to read between the lines, since every conversation could potentially uncover crucial plot details. What made me deduct one star from the maximum rating was that this book wasn’t well-edited, making me enjoy it less. This book features multiple instances of non-borderline profanity, violence, and a couple of lightly sexual references. I recommend this book to readers of all religions.
******
Glass in the Blood
View: on Bookshelves
