Review by NerdyVicky -- The Senator's Suitcase

NerdyVicky · Post by **NerdyVicky** » 23 Oct 2020, 22:47

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Senator's Suitcase" by Mitch Engel.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The Senator’s Suitcase written by Mitch Engel is a narrative, mostly first-person account of how
the contents of an old suitcase forever changed the life of the person who discovered it.

Troy
Davenport, the son and sole surviving relative of legendary senator Beth Davenport, while
packing the belongings of his deceased mother, discovered a suitcase belonging to her. The senator had
locked the suitcase away in a storage unit, legally unaccounted for but when Troy discovered it, it became a source of concern for him as he wanted to know the origin of what was in the suitcase. Beyond the contents of the
suitcase, Troy’s life and everything he knows about himself will change. He will also discover
aspects of his mother he never thought existed and are contrary to his opinions of her while embarking on a journey to a fuller life. The
story explored issues relating to family ties, domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexuality, amongst
many more.

One thing I appreciated about the story was how, in the beginning, the author seemed to reveal
bits and pieces of the plot gradually through the narrative technique used. The facts of the story
were not thrown in my face, rather one by one, I got to know what the story was about.
However, by Part II of the book, the author seemed to do exactly the opposite of what he had
been doing earlier — he dumped the rest of the plot on the reader thereby erasing any element of
mystery.

There was not enough dialogue, and this made it somewhat boring. Still, though the book is by
no means a page-turner, the overall plot will compel you to finish it. I fell asleep reading it, woke
up, and continued till I finished it, mostly because I was curious to know how it all ends. Still on
dialogue, I believe if the author allowed for more conversation, it will further develop the
characters and make the reader relate to them. Because there wasn’t much of a dialogue, I felt
like a bystander reading the book, instead of totally immersing myself in it.

Another plus for the book is that there are almost no typographical errors for my mind to snag
on. The only one I found (after running a fine-tooth comb over it) is one that can be easily
overlooked. The book contains no vulgar words and zero smutty scenes. I also appreciate the
fact that the author was not wasteful with words and the clarity is refreshing.

I rate this book three stars out of four . While it is not an exciting, heart-racing read, it is good if
you want a lazy, mellow read — something for the beach.

******
The Senator's Suitcase
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