Review of The Freedom Building
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Rina Baumgartner
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Review of The Freedom Building
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Freedom Building" by Martin Kendall.]
John Gowan is an ordinary middle-aged man running his own architectural firm in the United Kingdom during the height of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He started Gowan Partnerships with the help of an ambitious, charismatic friend from college, Pete Williams, and a hefty inheritance from his parents’ recent passing. Despite having dreams of glory, John viewed himself as nothing more than a mediocre, local architect. However, this viewpoint is challenged when a terrorist attack destroys the Zenith Star Building: home of the headquarters of international enterprise, Zenith Star Holdings.
Three and a half years later, John wakes up in the hospital to learn that Zenith Star had chosen his design for the new building! In fact, construction was set to begin that very morning. Upon learning this information, John is overcome with disbelief as he does not remember anything over the last few years or even designing the building. As he struggles to recover his memory and continue progress on this nationally-recognized project, John discovers that his amnesia is not the only problem he faces in this future world: every time he tries to look at the building or discuss its design elements, John’s world fades to black as he fights to stay lucid. Desperate to understand what is happening to him, John embarks on an inward journey to find the source of this splitting darkness and uncover the real truth behind the last three and a half years.
In this psychological thriller, The Freedom Building by Martin Kendall takes the reader on a quasi-spiritual journey to confront the deepening darkness that can be found inside each of us. With encapsulating narration focused solely on John’s fight within himself, the reader is invited to wrestle alongside John and explore this splitting darkness that constantly threatens to remove us from our natural state of liberation. The concept of freedom is examined dutifully throughout the novel, both in physical and metaphorical aspects. For instance, what does it mean to live in a free society? Does that mean any individual living in that society will also feel free just by nature of being in that society? Or is there a freedom within ourselves that must be acquired? In this novel, Martin Kendall does a phenomenal job of exploring these questions both on a communal level in terms of society and an individualistic level in terms of the self.
With the novel’s well-written, thought-provoking analysis of a relatable journey we all must go through at one point in life, I cannot find any critiques or areas for improvement. However, it may be worth noting that the novel is written in the British vernacular. While British writing is slightly different from American writing, I do not consider that to be a hindrance to the narrative. In fact, I would argue that it enhances the narrative since John is indeed a British architect. With that, combined with the well-executed exploration of a complicated concept, I rate The Freedom Building four out of four stars. Martin Kendall has created a masterpiece that is relevant to modern society, well-written, and authentic.
I strongly recommend this novel to anyone who is intrigued by global politics, memory loss, or general philosophical or abstract concepts, such as inner freedom, overcoming internal conflict, and creative inspiration. Although, due to the heavy discussion of abstract ideas, younger readers may not enjoy the novel, as much of the action is psychological rather than physical. Furthermore, there is minor sexual content and profanity that may be inappropriate for younger audiences.
******
The Freedom Building
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
John Gowan is an ordinary middle-aged man running his own architectural firm in the United Kingdom during the height of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He started Gowan Partnerships with the help of an ambitious, charismatic friend from college, Pete Williams, and a hefty inheritance from his parents’ recent passing. Despite having dreams of glory, John viewed himself as nothing more than a mediocre, local architect. However, this viewpoint is challenged when a terrorist attack destroys the Zenith Star Building: home of the headquarters of international enterprise, Zenith Star Holdings.
Three and a half years later, John wakes up in the hospital to learn that Zenith Star had chosen his design for the new building! In fact, construction was set to begin that very morning. Upon learning this information, John is overcome with disbelief as he does not remember anything over the last few years or even designing the building. As he struggles to recover his memory and continue progress on this nationally-recognized project, John discovers that his amnesia is not the only problem he faces in this future world: every time he tries to look at the building or discuss its design elements, John’s world fades to black as he fights to stay lucid. Desperate to understand what is happening to him, John embarks on an inward journey to find the source of this splitting darkness and uncover the real truth behind the last three and a half years.
In this psychological thriller, The Freedom Building by Martin Kendall takes the reader on a quasi-spiritual journey to confront the deepening darkness that can be found inside each of us. With encapsulating narration focused solely on John’s fight within himself, the reader is invited to wrestle alongside John and explore this splitting darkness that constantly threatens to remove us from our natural state of liberation. The concept of freedom is examined dutifully throughout the novel, both in physical and metaphorical aspects. For instance, what does it mean to live in a free society? Does that mean any individual living in that society will also feel free just by nature of being in that society? Or is there a freedom within ourselves that must be acquired? In this novel, Martin Kendall does a phenomenal job of exploring these questions both on a communal level in terms of society and an individualistic level in terms of the self.
With the novel’s well-written, thought-provoking analysis of a relatable journey we all must go through at one point in life, I cannot find any critiques or areas for improvement. However, it may be worth noting that the novel is written in the British vernacular. While British writing is slightly different from American writing, I do not consider that to be a hindrance to the narrative. In fact, I would argue that it enhances the narrative since John is indeed a British architect. With that, combined with the well-executed exploration of a complicated concept, I rate The Freedom Building four out of four stars. Martin Kendall has created a masterpiece that is relevant to modern society, well-written, and authentic.
I strongly recommend this novel to anyone who is intrigued by global politics, memory loss, or general philosophical or abstract concepts, such as inner freedom, overcoming internal conflict, and creative inspiration. Although, due to the heavy discussion of abstract ideas, younger readers may not enjoy the novel, as much of the action is psychological rather than physical. Furthermore, there is minor sexual content and profanity that may be inappropriate for younger audiences.
******
The Freedom Building
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Looking Glass Friends by E L Neve
