3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
If you've been reading books with rather predictable plots, you should try this one for sure. The Guiri is the sequel to Josh Hannan's No Fixed Abode, and I haven't read the prequel yet, but I guess neither do I need to to understand this book.
The story is described in the past as well in the present tense; they both are equally interesting, almost independent of each other and meaningful on their own. The book follows struggling singer/songwriter/writer-turned-gangster Grey Stringham through his late teens to middle-age in the most unexpected coming-of-age plot. It is a story of struggle, betrayal, freedom and ultimately, salvation. The whole story feels to be fragmented yet interconnected in a bizarrely pleasant way. It becomes really hard not to get connected with Grey on a deeply emotional level. The straightforward, no-nonsense attitude of the characters makes it clear that all of them mean business and that is why the book doesn't feel stretched at any time.
It starts with Grey struggling desperately to "make it" in the music industry. He forms a band consisting of Angelica, Leo and himself and all seems to be going well until his world falls apart for the first time. Angelica steals the credit for his sync-licensing rights and that's when he decides to leave the band. He leaves London and tries to settle for a less eventful but fulfilling life in Spain. That is when his real nightmare starts. With ghosts of his past chasing him, he gets involved in the Spanish gangster scene. Then the story takes a really unexpected turn which I'm not going to mention here. Will he somehow be able to redeem himself and eventually live his dream? Or has he come too far past the point of no return?
The reader may be forced to use Google Translate every now and then as there are certain Spanish phrases and dialogues from time to time, without which the story still makes sense but is a lot more interesting when you know what the characters are talking about. Makes sense because the writer has spent considerable amount of time in Spain.
I'm rating it 3 out of 4, as I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I'm hoping that there will be a sequel which will end Grey's tale in a more meaningful way. Some people may not like this book, so I suggest you read the prologue and/or the first chapter before purchasing it.
******
The Guiri
View: on Bookshelves | on Barnes and Noble | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like Harsh99's review? Post a comment saying so!