Review of The Slippery Road.
Posted: 28 Dec 2024, 22:31
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Slippery Road." by L. M. Bollers.]
Rating: 3/5
Although The Slippery Road performs quite well with its idea and premise, the novel as a whole lacks satisfactory execution. Once again, the main idea seems promising, but the narrative’s problems with the cadence, as well as with the development and the focus on the characters make this book an inconsistent read.
To start with the positives: the life of the protagonist has a great emotional impact, the author seems to be very much invested in the theme. The theme of facing the challenges that life throws at you, without warning, is impressive. Other parts also contain striking elements of writing that speak to the emotions and mental struggle experienced by the characters. It is these parts that highlight the book and indicate to the reader that there is a good storyteller within the author.
That said, the book is plagued with a number of shortcomings. First one and the most obvious has to be pacing. How to even begin, the first half of the book is borderline torturous, so much detail is given and as a result so many plots and scenes are added that on the whole add little to nothing to help the main story progression. In contrast, the last chapters feel thrown together without connecting the crucial plot marks or building up to them. The story could have been great if not for the emotionally powerful moments that would have impacted the story greatly and raised the bar.
Character development is another issue altogether. Most of the characters come across as poorly conceived and inconsistently developed which creates a mismatch when one tries to adjust to their character arc. Their motivation
******
The Slippery Road.
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Rating: 3/5
Although The Slippery Road performs quite well with its idea and premise, the novel as a whole lacks satisfactory execution. Once again, the main idea seems promising, but the narrative’s problems with the cadence, as well as with the development and the focus on the characters make this book an inconsistent read.
To start with the positives: the life of the protagonist has a great emotional impact, the author seems to be very much invested in the theme. The theme of facing the challenges that life throws at you, without warning, is impressive. Other parts also contain striking elements of writing that speak to the emotions and mental struggle experienced by the characters. It is these parts that highlight the book and indicate to the reader that there is a good storyteller within the author.
That said, the book is plagued with a number of shortcomings. First one and the most obvious has to be pacing. How to even begin, the first half of the book is borderline torturous, so much detail is given and as a result so many plots and scenes are added that on the whole add little to nothing to help the main story progression. In contrast, the last chapters feel thrown together without connecting the crucial plot marks or building up to them. The story could have been great if not for the emotionally powerful moments that would have impacted the story greatly and raised the bar.
Character development is another issue altogether. Most of the characters come across as poorly conceived and inconsistently developed which creates a mismatch when one tries to adjust to their character arc. Their motivation
******
The Slippery Road.
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon