2 out of 4 stars
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Years ago, two murders were committed and no murderer was brought to justice. The public, which followed the story known as “The Trial from the Movies”, was left with the unsettling knowledge that the truth of that fateful night would never be revealed. Until, that is, twenty-five years later when a TV show titled The Broadcast claims to have a video documenting the crime. Viewers soon become glued to their seats as what appears to be an authentic film unveils what really happened on that day. When the police use the video to obtain a confession and finally put the criminal behind bars, closure is given.
This unthinkable show elicits a reaction from the police force, and detectives across the country begin coming forward. They ask the producer of The Broadcast, Walter Lindsey if he happens to have access to videos documenting their own unsolved cases. The show then continues solving crimes until it’s decided they may receive more viewers by delving back in time to focus on famous historical events that have never before been documented using video technology. While some are fascinated by the show, others remain skeptical and questions arise. Are the videos authentic? What sort of advanced technology is capable of producing them? What is the impact of possessing such a technology? What else could it be used for and what would you want to see? How far back in time could you go?
Meanwhile, the story follows several different characters in their unique positions in life: Walter Lindsey’s brother Jonathan and his wife Sarah, who are struggling to live together in a childless home; a young man who was adopted as an infant and currently receives a job at TXB, the same television network where Lindsey works; a well-known and respected journalist who vows to uncover the truth behind what he believes to be the deception of the century; and a morally impaired private investigator who wishes to discover the answers behind the intriguing show for personal gains. All live seemingly separate lives, but a closer look reveals connections that lead back to each other, and to the show The Broadcast.
After reading promising reviews, I was disappointed to find that The Broadcast by Liam Fialkov was not at all what I was expecting. I was under the impression that this would be an exciting and stimulating thriller when in actuality, I discovered it to be a bit of a snoozefest. While there was some mystery involved, fast-paced thriller it was not.
I found the premise to be intriguing, but the delivery to be lacking. For one, there seemed to be a disconnect between the reader and the characters. It felt like the author was telling the story from afar; I was being told details of their lives rather than living it with them. I’m also a fan of getting to know characters through well-written dialogue. Determining how characters react to each other plays a significant role in coming to understand them. That being said, there seemed to be a lack of dialogue in this book. The conversations that did take place were awkward, stilted, and unrealistic. The writing didn’t flow well, and there was more than one occasion when I'd make a face at my phone while reading and think, nobody talks like this. Then to take the place of dialogue, there was an abundance of long paragraphs with unnecessary details, and more paragraphs with details repeated unnecessarily. This slowed the pacing of the book and contributed to the overall jejuneness.
It also didn't help that I didn’t like Jonathan, Sarah, or the two of them together. They shared the same house but seemed to be living completely separate lives. When Sarah was 16, her baby was taken from her and the yearning to be a mother never left. She wishes for her lost son’s return, but more than anything wants to have another child. While I believe her inability to get pregnant caused her great pain, I didn’t agree with her methods for finding a solution. Jonathan didn’t either, and yet he didn’t leave her, didn’t even bring it up in conversation. Not once did they communicate about the issue and not once did they talk about their struggles pertaining to their pasts. Did Jonathan even know that Sarah had a kid when she was 16? The question wasn’t answered. When major life events arose and travel was required, did they accompany each other in order to express their support? No. Did they talk about Jonathan’s struggles, his guilt over being the only survivor of a car accident that killed his parents when he was two? Not really, no. I’m not even sure how they made it to the end happily married.
During the course of the book, Sarah undertakes a spiritual journey looking for answers, for peace, for faith. She tries a number of various religions, and for a time, each seems to help ease her worries. The spiritual journey theme was big throughout, but because I didn’t care for her as a person, I found it difficult to relate or care about her happiness. Although I can honestly say I wish this wasn’t the case, all these things added to create a difficult reading experience for me.
I noticed several typos throughout, mostly in the form of missing punctuation. While there weren’t so many mistakes that it detracted from the story, it obviously wasn’t beneficial either.
Despite my negative feelings toward the writing and the characters, I did appreciate the author’s ability to tie everything together at the end. It was also clear that the book was well researched and well thought out. History, science, conspiracy theories, religion, and the universe’s unsolved mysteries were big themes throughout, and that, at least, I found interesting. I especially enjoyed the discussions on the concept of time. We perceive time as being linear, but what if it’s not? “The past, present, and future all exist simultaneously: everything that has happened and everything that will happen — it all exists — from events that took place in the distant past, to events that from our limited perspective are yet to happen.”
If I could take away the inferior writing quality and my dislike of the characters, I might’ve been able to enjoy reading this. So too, might you. For that, and it’s thought-provoking qualities, I rate this book a 2 out of 4 stars.
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The Broadcast
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