Living Dead GirlElizabeth Scott
So I've got good news and bad news.
The good news? I've been reading a ton lately, and the pile of books that need reviewing is pretty thick.
The bad? I don't have time to write adequate reviews, but neither do I want to keep postponing writing them up. The longer I go, the more I'll forget.
The solution? Shorter reviews. Hope you can stand the pain.
Speaking of pain, Elizabeth Scott's Living Dead Girl inflicted some on me. Talk about painful to read. Painful, but easy, as I busted this bad boy out in a day.
Living Dead Girl follows "Alice," a young girl who was abducted at ten. She's been held captive by the demented Ray for the past five years, forced to bear daily beatings and rapes. Over the course of the novel, we are given Alice's reflections on her current situation, the abuse she has endured for the past five years, and the future that is available to her.
Living Dead Girl is described as a novel for young adults, but I'm not sure I'd want a younger reader reading this, since it was very disturbing for me as an adult. If I were reading this as a teenager, I'd probably never leave the house again. Then again, Living Dead Girl is a good reminder that we should all carry swords. Or what about a nice ol' switchblade? What ever happened to those, eh? Not that I'm advocating violence, mind you, but a timely switchblade would have stopped a lot of ish from happening to ol' Alice here. Plus, switchblades are romantic, in a West Side Story kinda way.
The good news? I've been reading a ton lately, and the pile of books that need reviewing is pretty thick.
The bad? I don't have time to write adequate reviews, but neither do I want to keep postponing writing them up. The longer I go, the more I'll forget.
The solution? Shorter reviews. Hope you can stand the pain.
Speaking of pain, Elizabeth Scott's Living Dead Girl inflicted some on me. Talk about painful to read. Painful, but easy, as I busted this bad boy out in a day.
Living Dead Girl follows "Alice," a young girl who was abducted at ten. She's been held captive by the demented Ray for the past five years, forced to bear daily beatings and rapes. Over the course of the novel, we are given Alice's reflections on her current situation, the abuse she has endured for the past five years, and the future that is available to her.
Living Dead Girl is described as a novel for young adults, but I'm not sure I'd want a younger reader reading this, since it was very disturbing for me as an adult. If I were reading this as a teenager, I'd probably never leave the house again. Then again, Living Dead Girl is a good reminder that we should all carry swords. Or what about a nice ol' switchblade? What ever happened to those, eh? Not that I'm advocating violence, mind you, but a timely switchblade would have stopped a lot of ish from happening to ol' Alice here. Plus, switchblades are romantic, in a West Side Story kinda way.
Cracko Jacko!
So, anyway. The book. Living Dead Girl was a pretty basic novel, and there's not much I can say about it. Alice as a character was pretty fleshed out -- as was Ray, despite our being limited to only Alice's POV. That said, I felt the novel was still missing something, something substantial that I couldn't quite put my finger on. This feeling might be due more to the novel being aimed at a younger audience, but still: I was left ultimately unfulfilled by Living Dead Girl.
Despite my feeling this way, I was, ironically enough, satisfied by the ending, which was the best one possible given the circumstances (in my humble opinion). That said, I'm still unsure why I wasn't better satisfied by the novel, except to say that feeling this way is my prerogative, dammit.
In a nutshell: Living Dead Girl is a fast, yet very unsettling, read. For mature audiences only.
Bibliolatry Scale: 3.5 out of 6 stars
Despite my feeling this way, I was, ironically enough, satisfied by the ending, which was the best one possible given the circumstances (in my humble opinion). That said, I'm still unsure why I wasn't better satisfied by the novel, except to say that feeling this way is my prerogative, dammit.
In a nutshell: Living Dead Girl is a fast, yet very unsettling, read. For mature audiences only.
Bibliolatry Scale: 3.5 out of 6 stars
4 comments:
I've heard a lot about this book. I'm torn between wanting to read it and also to avoid that dark subject matter. I wonder which side will win. Thanks for the review.
Ok, I admit it. I don't have the guts to read something like this. It sounds like something that would put me in an emotional funk for days.
I finished this earlier this week. I think my problem with it was that i wanted her to save herself in some manner. Instead we got a rescue ending.
I couldn't go through with your other recommendation, so I'll have to leave this one, too. Disturbing is OK, but nightmarish, no. I have enough nightmares, thanks.
Totally understand the short reviews. It's been my shtick for years. No time - must read more.
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