If you read the review I wrote over on
Goodreads then you will know that this one is going to be confusing.
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| yes I felt like this during this book |
This book did not give me feelings of the kind that a reader of Romance usually likes. Of course, I did not expect to get gushy feelings from this book, because it is not a romance, but I didn't expect what I'm left with either. The feelings I experienced and still am a couple days after finishing this book are:
Frantic
Paranoia
Anger
Annoyance
Leave it to a man to make me feel these things!
Yes, CJ, I'm blaming you and I'm sure you are sitting back there cackling at this you evil creature!
This story is a mystery/adventure tale, so I'm going to TRY not to spoil too much of it:
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| The main character does not look like Cary Grant |
The main character is a career criminal. Due to an accident, he misses out on some major changes in the justice system. He wakes from a coma to a changed world. Everything he knew about navigating the criminal justice system is gone. It is disorienting to him, and to us as readers because we also do not know the rules of this new world. We are left sympathizing with a character for whom we do not want to have any sympathy--he's an unrepentant criminal! Of course, we feel better about liking him when we find out about his childhood, and we justify liking him because, after all, he is only a thief. He has never harmed anyone. He is not a
violent criminal (we tell ourselves guiltily).
Then it occurs to you--"NO! Stealing is wrong!"
We are seduced into liking this charming character because he is the protagonist and we tend to feel that we are supposed to like him no matter what he has done.
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| Mindfuck or advertising lie or excuse to put Fabio here? |
So basically, CJ West goes through this whole book fucking your mind and you accept it.
And you keep reading, because you
have to know what happens. I found myself reading so fast to find out what happened next that I missed little things. I wish I would have read slower; however, the action and circumstances made me want to speed read. I actually woke up thinking about this book at the ungodly hour of 5 am on a Saturday.
CJ West you are an evil, evil man.
I was, however, unsatisfied with the ending and I will tell you why: because it is one that will stick with me. I will not be able to forget it.
When I was complaining to my hubs about it, he said,
"Oh, so it's like that movie Sommersby we saw, the one where if it ended the way YOU wanted it to, you would have forgotten it and moved on. Instead it ended in a logical place that made sense and therefore is the kind of story that will stay with you and make you remember it."
YUP. JUST LIKE THAT.
The thing that is the most frightening about all of it is that the entire thing is plausible. This is not some look into the distant future where the technology is foreign to us. This is a look at the present; the technology is all here and could be utilized. It is the commonplace details in the story that make it so frightening.
THIS COULD HAPPEN.
I want to give this book 4 1/2 stars but Goodreads and Amazon don't have that option, so I'm stuck with giving it 4 stars. Please know that this is a
good book. I'd like everyone who wants a break from the usual romance stuff to give it a read and come on back here so we can bitch about it together.
Sue's Review of The End of Marking Time by CJWest
1 comment:
Thanks for reading. I have been surprised by how connected people become to Michael. The ending is difficult, but I agree with your husband that it is the only realistic way to end the book.
Thanks for the great review.
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