Review by booksandmagicshop -- Mock My Words

[booksandmagicshop]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Mock My Words" by Chandra Shekhar.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Mock My Words is a multi-genre, romantic comedy by Chandra Shekar. It revolves around David Tan, an immigrant from China who is a literary genius with a rather problematic way of speaking. As a classic literature professor, his awkward, choppy speech prevents him from gaining respect from students and making friends with co-workers. Laura, David's wife, is his complete opposite and is ferocious and focused deeply on her work: a major PR fiasco in the high-tech world. These two couldn't be further apart in personality and goals.

I was grabbed by the idea of a rom-com revolving around unique characters of different backgrounds. I definitely have never read a book with a character like David, who writes unbelievably well, yet fumbles over even the simplest of sentences. I found myself extremely sympathetic to his speech struggles, having Asian immigrant parents of my own, but I was not thrilled with how he thought about women. David's thoughts about his own wife seemed to revolve around ways to trap her into having sex. He was tiptoeing around her (understandably), but the end goal he wanted with Laura was less of meaningful conversation, but more for marital coupling alone. On the other hand, the numerous attempts to try new things and get out of his comfort zone were extremely commendable and made me like David overall.

This husband/wife duo hadn't a single chance to make it when this book started. It was like Shekar didn't even want them to try. David waffled his answers and submissively agreed to ideas he was against, while Laura completely ignored her husband most of the time. Both of the main characters just weren't having any growth and felt really flat.

Despite this, the writing of the novel was fresh and well-written. There isn't any explicit sexual content, but it easily comes across as an adult read. I think Shekar did a fabulous job with the quirky characters ideas and settings. The opening chapters are extremely catching and set the tone for the uphill battle David is about to embark on.

Overall, I'm rating this book 2 out of 4 stars. The writing was unique and thoroughly well-edited. It is not a 3 star because the plot just was not what I hoped it would be. None of the characters were particularly likable and I found myself irritated with the choices that were made. If you are looking for a traditional rom-com, this may not be the book for you. A great audience for this novel would be tech-lovers or those who love different worlds intertwining into one story. Although the writing is safe for young adults, the plot isn't exciting enough to be suited for them.

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Mock My Words
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