Review of Deceptive Calm
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Heather Knapp
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- Latest Review: Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper
Review of Deceptive Calm
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceptive Calm" by Patricia Skipper.]
Deceptive Calm, by Patricia Skipper, is a sweeping tale that jumps right into the action from page one. While the book is about a beautiful, light-skinned, black orphan who takes on a white identity and the eventual results of that, it is also about so much more. Despite some problems with the writing, the sheer amount of historical information, the cultural trip over several decades, and the ample amount of tension and action kept me glued to the book until the end.
In 1968 in Charleston, South Carolina, we meet the main character Vanessa, along with her best friend Trisha, who is white, and her love interest Barry, who all attend an integrated Catholic high school together. Vanessa’s late teen years are filled with formative experiences for her, many of which are deeply intense. Some revolve around her relationship with Barry and some serious fallout from that. Many others involve Trisha, including the two both getting the same jobs and going to college together. One summer, they sort tomatoes with Hispanic migrant workers, which leads to the girls’ discovery of how to secure a fake birth certificate. For kicks, they obtain one for Vanessa based on the records of a deceased white baby after Trisha realizes that most people who see them together assume they are both white. Another summer they work at a dive restaurant and meet a mysterious old man who tells Vanessa’s fortune, setting up some very effective foreshadowing that lasts the entire book.
Vanessa tries hard at life, but after one too many heartbreaks and traumas, she feels desperate for a change. A college classmate helps her change her data in her school transcripts, easier since the baby whose identity she stole has the same first name. She then transfers to a university in California and heads off to finish her degree and start a new life, vowing to cut all ties to her past except with Trisha, the only one who knows her secret.
Both Trisha and Vanessa get busy building careers in broadcast journalism after graduation. Trisha stays back east and goes into ad sales, which exposes her to a lot of sleazy men and lifestyles. She falls into some of the traps of these lifestyles, yet also gains valuable experience and performs well at her job. Vanessa becomes a workaholic at a San Francisco TV station, where, after years of dedication, she lands her dream job as an anchor. She draws the attention of a wealthy playboy, Tod, in whom she has no interest, but he hits on her every time he sees her until she agrees to go out with him. Due to her inexperience with men, he manipulates her into falling in love with him, despite their many obvious differences, and they get engaged.
Immediately after the wedding, Vanessa realizes that she and Tod are extremely incompatible. Staying because of her religious beliefs, she tries to make the best of it but is miserable until she has a baby, Brett, who becomes the joyful focus of her life. However, just as things seem to be going well for Vanessa, her secrets are discovered by Tod and his family, and they are not happy about it. What follows plays out like a movie as Tod and his father attempt to use their power and wealth to manipulate the system and rid themselves of Vanessa and Brett. How far will they go? Will they succeed? Will evil win, or will Vanessa finally find the love and happiness she deserves? You’ll have to read the book to learn her fate!
What I liked best about the book was following the characters for so many years and watching them learn and grow, and the number of themes and human experiences the author was able to touch on. While Vanessa’s race “changing” was integral to the story, the book is really so much more about the game of life and the different ways we can play it. The stories of the black characters were interesting because many of them were highly educated, and many of the subplots and background details regarding them were unexpected. But the book also tells the tales of Hispanic migrant workers and of women struggling to enter male-dominated professions during decades that we tend to forget about these days, and even includes many little-known stories about historical figures in Civil War and Southern history. The portrayal of Tod and his wealthy family reflects on yet another strata of life. The people and places are described in a richness of detail that allows you to clearly imagine their worlds.
My main dislike with the book is the terrible sentence structure spread throughout its entirety. While it can be overlooked to an extent, grammatically incorrect sentences occur frequently enough to be baffling and annoying. It’s difficult to explain why so many sentences would be written this way, and I wonder if AI was possibly used. Also, it should be mentioned that there is virtually no insight into the character’s thought lives. Nearly the entire book is written as a series of events, and you are left to fill in the thoughts and feelings the characters may be having. Some people won't mind this because the book is able to cover much more ground, and it also allows it to play out like a movie in your head, especially in the exciting moments near the end. On the other hand, some readers might like to have more insight into the inner thoughts and motivations of the characters.
The book does contain some profanity and some pretty graphic sexual scenes. The sex scenes felt integral to the story but also took me by surprise at times. Those scenes, plus the need to use your own life experience to understand the characters' journeys, lead me to recommend the book only to mature readers. Also, women may find it more interesting than men, due to the focus on female characters. Lastly, at times the book became borderline unrealistic, with people who were practically caricatures and events that were almost too outrageous to be believed. Yet somehow it still held together, and in some ways, it made the story better—more emotional and exciting. Minus inappropriate details, I summarized the story to my kids, who were wondering why I was so into the book, and they found it very exciting indeed!
Overall, I give the book a 4 out of 5 stars. I was tempted to rate it slightly less because of the writing style. Yet there was something sweepingly epic and archetypal about the tale and the characters that connected with me and kept me reading until the end. Deceptive Calm is enjoyable as a leisure read with a bonus of some historical facts thrown in that might leave you reflecting a little on the journey of life.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Deceptive Calm, by Patricia Skipper, is a sweeping tale that jumps right into the action from page one. While the book is about a beautiful, light-skinned, black orphan who takes on a white identity and the eventual results of that, it is also about so much more. Despite some problems with the writing, the sheer amount of historical information, the cultural trip over several decades, and the ample amount of tension and action kept me glued to the book until the end.
In 1968 in Charleston, South Carolina, we meet the main character Vanessa, along with her best friend Trisha, who is white, and her love interest Barry, who all attend an integrated Catholic high school together. Vanessa’s late teen years are filled with formative experiences for her, many of which are deeply intense. Some revolve around her relationship with Barry and some serious fallout from that. Many others involve Trisha, including the two both getting the same jobs and going to college together. One summer, they sort tomatoes with Hispanic migrant workers, which leads to the girls’ discovery of how to secure a fake birth certificate. For kicks, they obtain one for Vanessa based on the records of a deceased white baby after Trisha realizes that most people who see them together assume they are both white. Another summer they work at a dive restaurant and meet a mysterious old man who tells Vanessa’s fortune, setting up some very effective foreshadowing that lasts the entire book.
Vanessa tries hard at life, but after one too many heartbreaks and traumas, she feels desperate for a change. A college classmate helps her change her data in her school transcripts, easier since the baby whose identity she stole has the same first name. She then transfers to a university in California and heads off to finish her degree and start a new life, vowing to cut all ties to her past except with Trisha, the only one who knows her secret.
Both Trisha and Vanessa get busy building careers in broadcast journalism after graduation. Trisha stays back east and goes into ad sales, which exposes her to a lot of sleazy men and lifestyles. She falls into some of the traps of these lifestyles, yet also gains valuable experience and performs well at her job. Vanessa becomes a workaholic at a San Francisco TV station, where, after years of dedication, she lands her dream job as an anchor. She draws the attention of a wealthy playboy, Tod, in whom she has no interest, but he hits on her every time he sees her until she agrees to go out with him. Due to her inexperience with men, he manipulates her into falling in love with him, despite their many obvious differences, and they get engaged.
Immediately after the wedding, Vanessa realizes that she and Tod are extremely incompatible. Staying because of her religious beliefs, she tries to make the best of it but is miserable until she has a baby, Brett, who becomes the joyful focus of her life. However, just as things seem to be going well for Vanessa, her secrets are discovered by Tod and his family, and they are not happy about it. What follows plays out like a movie as Tod and his father attempt to use their power and wealth to manipulate the system and rid themselves of Vanessa and Brett. How far will they go? Will they succeed? Will evil win, or will Vanessa finally find the love and happiness she deserves? You’ll have to read the book to learn her fate!
What I liked best about the book was following the characters for so many years and watching them learn and grow, and the number of themes and human experiences the author was able to touch on. While Vanessa’s race “changing” was integral to the story, the book is really so much more about the game of life and the different ways we can play it. The stories of the black characters were interesting because many of them were highly educated, and many of the subplots and background details regarding them were unexpected. But the book also tells the tales of Hispanic migrant workers and of women struggling to enter male-dominated professions during decades that we tend to forget about these days, and even includes many little-known stories about historical figures in Civil War and Southern history. The portrayal of Tod and his wealthy family reflects on yet another strata of life. The people and places are described in a richness of detail that allows you to clearly imagine their worlds.
My main dislike with the book is the terrible sentence structure spread throughout its entirety. While it can be overlooked to an extent, grammatically incorrect sentences occur frequently enough to be baffling and annoying. It’s difficult to explain why so many sentences would be written this way, and I wonder if AI was possibly used. Also, it should be mentioned that there is virtually no insight into the character’s thought lives. Nearly the entire book is written as a series of events, and you are left to fill in the thoughts and feelings the characters may be having. Some people won't mind this because the book is able to cover much more ground, and it also allows it to play out like a movie in your head, especially in the exciting moments near the end. On the other hand, some readers might like to have more insight into the inner thoughts and motivations of the characters.
The book does contain some profanity and some pretty graphic sexual scenes. The sex scenes felt integral to the story but also took me by surprise at times. Those scenes, plus the need to use your own life experience to understand the characters' journeys, lead me to recommend the book only to mature readers. Also, women may find it more interesting than men, due to the focus on female characters. Lastly, at times the book became borderline unrealistic, with people who were practically caricatures and events that were almost too outrageous to be believed. Yet somehow it still held together, and in some ways, it made the story better—more emotional and exciting. Minus inappropriate details, I summarized the story to my kids, who were wondering why I was so into the book, and they found it very exciting indeed!
Overall, I give the book a 4 out of 5 stars. I was tempted to rate it slightly less because of the writing style. Yet there was something sweepingly epic and archetypal about the tale and the characters that connected with me and kept me reading until the end. Deceptive Calm is enjoyable as a leisure read with a bonus of some historical facts thrown in that might leave you reflecting a little on the journey of life.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper
