Official Review: Wages of Sin by Charlene Gage

[ALynnPowers]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Wages of Sin" by Charlene Gage.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

When I initially set out to review Wages of Sin by Charlene Gage, I was under the impression that the book is non-fiction. However, the cover of the book states that this is a novel, and a little research told me that the book belongs in the literary fiction category. The book also contains a disclaimer stating that the events and characters of the story are fictional. However, it is easy to think that this book is non-fiction due to the realistic events portrayed in a memoir-like fashion. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all to learn that most of this story is inspired by true-life experiences.

Wages of Sin tells the dramatic story of Reva, now a single mother with a wonderful little boy, looking back on her life and how she came to be in her current situation, which is far different from where she would prefer to be. Her life first begins spiraling out of control when she is merely a child. Her parents divorce, and then her mother is brutally murdered by a relative. Living with her father and his new family is like being in Cinderella's story, minus the happy ending. Living with her grandmother isn't much better; the old woman keeps her on a short leash after her first pregnancy, but fails to realize that Reva is being molested by an uncle under the same roof.

Reva's teenage rebellion continues well into adulthood. As an adult, Reva's life seems to be nothing more than one bad decision after another. Eventually she is led into the world of drug trafficking and becomes physically involved with her "boss" in the drug trade. In attempts to lure him into settling into an exclusive relationship, Reva intentionally gets pregnant. With things still not going quite as planned, her life continues to spiral further and further in the wrong direction.

This book is relatively short (approximately 110 pages) and definitely a page-turner. However, I feel like there were way too many events over too many years packed into this brief story. It seemed more like I was reading a summary of an entire soap opera series, rather than a full-length novel. As a result, the story contains very little dialogue and almost zero character development. Sometimes characters who seem important to the story disappear after just a few pages, and I can't even tell you anything about the personalities of major characters who stick around throughout the book. Even Reva, the main character who tells the story from her own perspective, comes across as nothing more than a gold-digger. Although so many horrible things happen to her, it's difficult to feel any kind of sympathy toward her, especially as she gets older. I hate the "blame the victim" mentality, but this book gives a good example of how it's so easy to think this way.

The ending of the story was really abrupt, and I felt like there wasn't any kind of conclusion. Actually, the very beginning of the story, in which Reva is at home with her young son and reflecting on her past, seemed more like the ending to me. Given the nature of the plot, I wouldn't expect a satisfying conclusion or a happy ending by any means, but it would have been nice to at least return back to that moment from the beginning, in order to tie the story together in some way.

Despite my previous comments, I actually enjoyed reading Wages of Sin. The writing itself is very good, with only a few random typographical errors scattered throughout the book, and the story is not boring or terrible by any means. It doesn't quite fit my own personal preference for what I like to see within a novel, but I think that if this were an actual memoir, then I probably wouldn't even care about the lack of character development or tidy conclusion. The fact that the author has managed to blur the lines between fiction and non-fiction is enough reason for me to give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys dramatic stories or realistic fiction.

******
Wages of Sin
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like ALynnPowers's review? Post a comment saying so!

[PashaRu]

Based on your review, this sounds like a strange book. And it seems like an unpleasant story, on the whole. I was surprised to see that you rated it as highly as you did. Good thing the writing quality and interest of the story helped to redeem it.

At any rate, a great review!

[zeldas_lullaby]

ALynn!! Hi! How're you??

Great review!! This book sounds downright dismal. I would not want to read it. No offense to the author--that doesn't mean it's bad. I don't like stuff that's "too realistic." It defeats the point of escapism.

Your review was really interesting!

[Tanaya]

Too bad about the lack of character development! I'm glad you were still able to enjoy it. Nice review!

[hannahbm13]

This book sounds very interesting to me! It reminds me of stories such as "Go Ask Alice" and "Crank."

[ALynnPowers]

This book sounds very interesting to me! It reminds me of stories such as "Go Ask Alice" and "Crank."

I've read both of those books, but I don't really see any similarities between those and this one. Minus drugs being involved in both, but this one is much more mature in content.

I'm actually kind of confused as to why this book has been place in the nonfiction section. Also, the author's name is spelled wrong in the topic title (look at the cover of the book).

[gali]

I fixed up the name of the author. Nice review.

[bluemel4]

Very insightful review. I have read books where nothing seems to go right in a person's life and no one can help them out of their situation. If the book is done well it can serve as a great cautionary tale. I am not sure how much the book leans in that direction.

Excellent review.

[Rachaelamb1]

Seems a bit depressing. Also, I have a hard time reading books with underdeveloped characters. Definitely not my kind of book.

[Momlovesbooks]

Very nice review! However, it seems like a depressing book. I don't think it will be on my "to read" list any time soon. While I occasionally read a true life book, I tend to be more of an escapist with a love for fairy tale endings.

[ALynnPowers]

I didn't mention this in the review, but... um... the cover of the book totally doesn't make any sense to me. There wasn't a single white character in the book, so I really don't know why there is a picture of a white woman with a black eye.
I didn't want to say anything, but... well... I feel compelled to say it now.