Official Review: The Passerby by David Balzarini

WildWiggin · Post by **WildWiggin** » 17 Oct 2016, 22:58

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Passerby" by David Balzarini.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The Passerby by David Balzarini is a mystery/thriller four part story. It is about a young girl named Kandace, and her struggle to take care of her two younger sisters, Coral and Amelia, while avoiding the wrath of their mother. The three sisters live with their mother, Ginger, in a rundown part of Pittsburgh. Ginger is an addict who loves to use the system, and could not care less about her children. Kandace is only eight years old, but is responsible for feeding, clothing, and protecting her sisters. The only thing that keeps her going is the hope that her father will return, and bring with him the normalcy that they once had.

Kandace’s story starts with a simple decision to skip school. This one decision leads her on a life changing journey. As Kandace gets older she begins to realize how desperately her sisters and she need their father. In one snap decision Kandace sets off to track him down, and ends up discovering more about herself than she ever bargained for. Kandace will be forced to confront her fears and either end up like her mother, or fight to be the person she wants to be.

As the story progresses more characters are brought in and each character really begins to develop. Parallel to Kandace’s story are chapters about a man trying to stop an unknown woman from jumping off a bridge. I liked how Balzarini switched between the two situations throughout the story. Each time new characters were introduced and more of the mystery was revealed.

I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. It did take me a while to really get invested into the story, but once I was used to the writing style I couldn’t put it down. The character development for the most part was well done. Though at times, I thought some characters could have used a little more depth to them. The switching between character perspectives in the middle of paragraphs was what made it so hard to like at first. The story dragged a little in the beginning, but after the first of the four parts it really picked up.

Anyone who likes mystery/thrillers, and does not mind time frame or point of view switches, should give this book a try. It is a quick read once you get into it, and defiantly gets you invested in what happens to Kandace. At times it can be a little annoying because Balzarini makes Kandace out to be so grown up and smart, but then has her thought dialogue so childlike. If you can move past that, and the chapter switches, you will not want to put it down.

******
The Passerby
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Post by **Kourtney Bradley** » 18 Oct 2016, 07:16

I'm such a huge fan of thrillers, so this one sounds like a good read! I can see how it would be hard to keep up when the character perspective switches in inconvenient places though. Thank you for sharing your review!

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 21 Oct 2016, 05:51

Sounds like a very interesting book and something I would enjoy. I think I can get past the point of view switches but the childlike dialogue would be harder to ignore

Good job on the review.