EVER BOUGHT A BOOK ON THE STRENGTH OF THE REVIEWS ON THE BACK???

If you are like us (and probably one of the many thousands of book lovers across the globe) and have had the misfortune of spending your hard-earned cash on an apparent "best-seller"; you will probably also have experienced the dull thud as you bang your head against the wall, thinking "Why did I listen to the reviews on the back?!" The truth is: reviews found on books are usually self-promoting, PR stunt-type hype and not necessarily a true reflection of the books' quality at all.

It is our aim to tell the truth about books, but don't for one second assume that that is synonymous with us creating a blog to 'diss' authors' work - to the contrary - our intention is to provide an honest appraisal of each and every book we read. If the book is any good - it'll get a good review. If it's awful and a tragedy to the literary world - then it won't. It's that simple.

Thursday, 20 September 2007

The Great Harlequin Grim by Gareth Thompson (ISBN 978-0-009-48765-4)

Here is an eloquent story of prejudice, misunderstanding and a stark account of today's youth culture, even in the supposed 'quiet backwater villages' of rural Britain. In all, a sobering, brittle and gut-wrenching tale interspersed with the melancholy and unspeakable thrills of young life in our modern-day society of instability and perpetual change.
Glenn (the main character) is drawn from a deep understanding of the daily struggles and complex emotions of teenage life - easily identifiable to most young adults. Harlequin himself, is rough and difficult to comprehend, as such we are easily led to believe the worst, then the best, until finally we are offered the plain truth: sometimes we become what we are because of who we are.
I found The Great Harlequin Grim to be a strangely compelling and occasionally uncomfortable read - an incredible debut from Gareth Thompson.

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