The Title is Misleading
Written: Feb 26 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unusual plot, surprise ending
Cons: Too many slow spots, characters not real likeable
The Bottom Line: A psychological suspense novel with an unusual plot
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| Rocketgirl's Full Review: |
And so is the description. Reading the book jacket, I was under the impression this was a pseudo-horror story, or at least a crime story. It wasn't really either type of story. Crimson Rain is written by Meg O'Brien. It is published by Mira Books, the suspense/general fiction arm of Harlequin Enterprises.
Paul and Gina Bradley discovered that they were biologically unable to have children. So they decided to adopt, and adopted baby twin girls, Angela and Rachel. Things seem to be fine for awhile. Then a horrible incident occurs on Christmas Eve, when the girls are five. Angela, who had gotten increasingly tempermental and violent, attempted to kill her sister.
Paul and Gina return her to the orphanage, where she is diagnosed with a mental disease that keeps her from forming ordinary attachments and caring for people. The Bradleys feel their other daughter's life is at risk if Angela were to continue to live with them. They leave her at the orphanage.
The story then quickly progresses to the 21-year-old Rachel, at home for the Christmas holiday on vacation from Berkeley. Though they gave up Angela, Gina and Paul have always agonized whether it was the right decision. Over the years they have grown apart, and the grown up Rachel is blaming them for denying her access to her sister. Then suddenly one day Rachel leaves the house and doesn't come back. Has the evil twin come back for revenge?
The book jacket reads "someone has unleashed a vengeful fury on the Bradleys." You can see by this description the fury is not some demon, pestilence, or even ax murderer. Its just a crazy girl. So once again, I was somewhat disappointed that the writer did not deliver what the book jacket promised.
On the other hand, for someone with a relatively small number of books under her belt, she didn't do too bad of a job. Her use of the language is skillful, her plot is inventive, and her characters unusual. I was also surprised by the ending, because some characters act totally "out of character."
What I didn't like was that there were too many slow spots. Both Gina and Paul end up having affairs. I felt far too much time was spent describing their trysts. If the affairs had had something to do with the overall plot, it would have been more acceptable. Though we later find Paul's lover is involved with the Rachel disappearance, descriptions of all the meetings weren't necessary to introduce the involvement. These descriptions got boring. So did all the time the two spend thinking about how their marriage isn't going very well. I would have rather they talked about it in one chapter instead of thinking about it in several. This slowed down the pacing of the book, only the other purpose it has is to show how they pull together when it counts toward the end.
I commented that I thought the author did a good job of characterization. She did. Their backgrounds are thorough, their personalities are well described, and their values and opinions are obvious. Unfortunately, she did not describe characters that are particularly likeable. It was hard to hope things work out for them. Both parents are cheating and the daughter is acting like a spoiled brat. Even the mother-in-law is obnoxious and snobby. Most of the time, the most likeable person was the cop, Duarte, who tries to help them when Rachel is missing.
The story takes place in Seattle, which is becoming an increasingly popular location for setting novels. Living a few hours from their, I enjoy reading about areas where I have a general idea of the geography. The gloomy December weather reminds me why I don't live there. I had have to laugh a few times when I wondered if the author had been there, lived there, or at least looked at a map. Some of her logistical descriptions just didn't seem possible.
This author has written ten books. Perhaps one of the others is a bit better than this one. Though it wasn't terrible, it wasn't super outstanding either. There wasn't really a happy ever after. On the other hand, it was totally devoid of violence, sex, and swearing. A good novel for a teen.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Rocketgirl
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 in Books |
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Member: Beth
Location: Tri-Cities, WA
Reviews written: 398
Trusted by: 224 members
About Me:
So many books, so little time.
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