Review of Baptism & Other Rituals

[Okafor Prosper]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Baptism & Other Rituals" by George Peter Farrell.]

---

2 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Baptism & Other Rituals by George Peter Farrell is a work of fiction that consists of eighteen short stories that are seemingly inspired by the author's life. We follow unique characters through dark aspects of their lives, from stories revolving around the young Jamie Warum, who suffered abuse from his father while dealing with changes due to puberty, and Jamie's mother's story of abuse at the hands of her husband and a lack of love and neglect from her parents to the stories of women who were fed up of their significant other and their plot to get rid of them and the story of a man who gave up years of his life caring for his deteriorating mother while wondering when he would get his life back.

The first chapter starts in an engaging, humorous, and thought-provoking manner, as we are entertained by the inquisitive nature of two children, Enzo and Max, coupled with their Uncle George's storytelling ability and his ability to creatively fill in the blanks in the story of Jesus. Thereafter, there is still some humor, but there are mostly experiences that are tough to read through. I thoroughly enjoyed how relatable most of the stories were, with a lot of focus on Jamie's childhood and adolescence. George Peter Farrell has a way of drawing you into the characters' shoes, telling the stories mostly in reverse chronology, so as you read further into the stories, you will get to understand some things from the characters' past that influenced what you previously read.

J.D. Salinger's influence on the author's writing style, with a focus on dialogue, is evident here, and the author also largely employs the third-person perspective that provides a clear view of events and how they affect the characters. George Peter Farrell's narration is vivid and provides a lot of in-depth explanations and details, which also add to the stories' relatability. I also loved how the author shares a child's undiluted perspective on different aspects of life, especially through Jamie's eyes. We see how confused he is after his father repeatedly sexually abuses him and how he wonders if that is the norm in other homes. He even goes on to indirectly inquire from his friend to clear up his confusion.

The book has a few negative aspects, however. Firstly, it is worth noting that most of the short stories are connected, focusing on different aspects of Jamie and his family's lives. Therefore, it was a bit confusing introducing the stories of other characters that did not fit into Jamie's story in between. It was also confusing seeing Jamie's story commence in the first person and suddenly change to the third person later on. I did not find the transition smooth, and I also felt like there was a broken connection between myself and the main character from that point.

Editing is another area of the book that requires a massive improvement. It was difficult to read through the numerous errors revolving around comma, hyphenation, and spacing errors. Employing the services of a professional editor will be helpful.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the stories and sympathize with the characters, but there were some issues with the book's overall execution. Therefore, I rate Baptism & Other Rituals two out of four stars. The errors and the complications in transitions influenced my final rating. A few of the stories contain descriptive sexual content and profanity, so mature readers who enjoy dark stories and are open to conversations around abuse will enjoy this book.

******
Baptism & Other Rituals
View: on Bookshelves

[Mercy Osmond]

Am not a fan of short stories. The book seems interesting, I might give it a try. Thanks for the detailed review.

[The frant1c reader]

In a gist, I assume the stories to be raw account of the troubling side of these people's lives. I'd like to explore how the author puts forth such emotional values and develops characters in a short story format. Sounds like quite a challenge. Also, Thank you for such a beautiful review!

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

Seems like Uncle George was a fun person to be around! Great review.

[Qer]

I like short stories, not sure if i'd enjoy this one. But with the promise of some humor I might give it a try. Thank you for the honest review.