1 out of 4 stars
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Curiously, I decided to read the book called The Broadcast written by the author Liam Fialkov. I was curious after seeing the cover art for the book that depicts a man, woman, two people in armor and a broadcasting device. I was unsure what to think about the subject matter, but I was compelled to find out more to the story.
From the beginning, I felt I was reliving moments in time where I watched the history channel. The narrator and voice in the story came across as monotonous and unexcited without appeal. The lack of emotion and monotone can be seen in chapter 2 with the character named Sarah, “Sarah was especially excited.” I cannot think of a duller method to express feeling and I was not surprised when this became a common ailment throughout the book.
I think the author has a clear story to tell; the book is about broadcasting and its effect on people and their stories. A question in the book is – is it real or fake? But I find myself wondering, does it matter?
Sarah was sixteen when she was forced into a convent and with the demand to give away her baby. I felt as if this could have been an emotional chapter and the details could have been raw and full of expression. However, I could not connect with the character, the bland narration and lack of feeling led the story to fall flat. In-between the emotionless background and dialogue the television show airs depicting crime and mystery. I could infer that the author intended suspense and gripping appeal, but then the page turns to two characters named Michael and Melanie having such a bland conversation, it dulls the story. Melanie’s worry over if Michael’s parents will like her is the opposite of a page-turner. I can tell the story is about people and a connection to their decisions, the past and the present reality. The epilogue really summed it all up for me, written in a six year old child’s voice named Daniel the reader is given one last flat analysis of the world.
Because I could not connect with the fictional story or the characters, I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars. I can tell the author has a story to tell, but it seems as if they do not have the means to tell it. There is a bad combination of uninteresting dialogue and lack of characterization, which leads me to read this book so poorly. I do think the idea behind broadcasting such cold case history moments is compelling, but the people in the story itself are not. Therefore the idea itself is worth one star for my rating.
I would recommend this book to people who read a book not for the characters, but for the plot only. I’m not positive I would sincerely recommend this book at all though, although I do know some readers who in fiction, do not care about the emotion, dialogue or people in the story. I do think there is a reader out there for this book, I just know that reader is not me.
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The Broadcast
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