Official Review: Molatlhegi by JT Gilliland

[TheSeelieCourtJester]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Molatlhegi" by JT Gilliland.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Molatlhegi: The Lost One Returns, by J.T. Gilliland, is a mystery about a young man who is unwittingly dragged into a twisted plot filled with drugs and mayhem, all the while endeavors to clear his name after being framed for the murder of his wife.

The book introduces Anthony Jenkins, who has the opportunity to work for a major corporation owned by the Hiltons. Although wary at first, his wife Jane supports him and urges him to have confidence in himself. One night, he stumbles across a murder, then panics and flees, which causes a chain of events revolving around a conspiracy that becomes more and more dangerous with each passing second. Innocents are dragged into the fray, and with the body counting growing higher, Anthony decides to fight back.

I enjoyed the parallels Gilliland made between two pinnacle characters, Anthony and Adams. Although they are clearly on opposing sides, they are shown to care for their loved ones. It is also shown that they both have morals, but would gladly cast them aside to protect their family and friends. Manipulated by the major antagonist, they still have the same interests at heart, though in the end, it was Adams who maintained his sense of normalcy. Another interesting point I liked was how different their endings were; Adams, though an incredibly dark character throughout the book, was reduced to Anthony’s lowly hostage, whereas Anthony became a killing machine that he thought he’d abandoned long ago.

It was through this parallel that the book emphasizes the theme that though it might be easier, you can’t just run away from your problems. Anthony’s choice to flee, rather than to confront, caused pain for the people around him. Adams had chosen to ignore his own actions, while hoping for escape. Over and over again, I saw this theme in many of the characters, whether it be out of a simple sense of morality, or professional preservation. In this book, Gilliland illustrates how important the notion of escaping is, and in my opinion, this theme was well-executed.

Nonetheless, there were many detractors from the book. The plot was predictable, and although there were times I enjoyed glimpses of a darker atmosphere in the story, the long, drawn-out descriptions of the character’s emotions eliminated that. It’d gotten to the point where I didn’t even believe the characters really felt them. Another recurring problem was how the regular descriptions and the characters’ thoughts weren’t properly separated, so much so that, at times, I wondered if this was just another point-of-view being introduced. There were a few grammatical errors, and the wording made for awkward dialogue between the characters.

Overall, I would give this book a rating of a 2 out of 4 stars. The book has the essentials of a horror mystery novel, as it explores the deep recesses of human emotion, as well as the consequences of running away from your problems. The book also does a particularly good job in character parallels. However, due to the predictable plot, the lack of separation between of thoughts and description, and the awkward word building, this book was not rated higher. Still, I would recommend this to new fans of the mystery genre.

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Molatlhegi
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[raikyuu]

Hmm, the book doesn't sound like a horror novel, but it sure is a mystery one. I feel that the book is "spoiled" when you discussed the nature of the endings, but that's just my opinion. Still, this seems like an interesting book.

[Donatelloo]

Looks like an interesting piece to read . I will read this one

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

After seeing the title of this book, Molatlhegi, which means "lost one" in my home language, seTswana, I had to read your review! I like the theme of the book,that you can't run away from your problems. Thanks for the review!

[kimmyschemy06]

That was a very honest review. The premise sounds promising and the characters seem interesting. Too bad, though, about the flaws of the book. Good job on the review.