Review of Bombora

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PughJ
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Review of Bombora

Post by PughJ »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Bombora" by Paul Drewitt.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Paul Drewitt's Bombora is an examination of the phenomenon of fear through the eyes of Andy Leehane. Andy is a sixteen-year-old boy who, at first glance, is presented as a relatively timid and quiet person. The presence of Mick, his more adventurous and daring friend, creates a codependent relationship in which Andy is expected to constantly go along with Mick's crazy ideas. Despite the nature of their relationship, Andy often felt that Mick was not as fearless as he appeared to be. This was evident when Glash and Sophie came into their lives, with the sole philosophy of conquering fear and using it to their advantage. The introduction of Glash and Sophie led to new and unprecedented adventures that changed their lives as they knew them.

The quality of narration present in the book is top-notch. A significant part of the book revolves around only Andy and Mick, but the dialogues present, the thought processes described and the description of the setting make this part very rich and full of content, despite seemingly focusing on only two characters. The use of analogies is also very well-done and the reader can easily see the parallels set between the fear of different phenomena. The development of Mick's personality in the book is excellent. The development is done very patiently and carefully and by the time the reader sees Mick for who he really is, they are left wondering why they did not expect it right from the start.

I struggled a bit with the amount of Australian slang used in the book. Plenty of time was spent going back and forth between the book and a dictionary in order to understand some of the ongoing events. Moreover, the timeline of events, particularly in the first part of the book, was relatively unclear, and as such, it was a bit tough to get a clear image of the chronological period between key events. Nonetheless, this did not do too much to hamper my reading experience.

I would give Bombora a rating of 3 out of 4 . The quality of narration and the level of characterization present are the biggest positives in this book in my opinion. Also, the book was well-edited, as I did not encounter any errors while reading the book.

This book is strictly for mature audiences as it contains some intense sexual content and strong language. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a slow-burn kind of book which develops slowly by slowly until it reaches a sustained climax. Readers who also enjoy books with the use of imagery to represent feelings would also love this book.

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Bombora
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