Official Review: Night Crawlers by Ron L. Carter

[That Reviewer]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Night Crawlers" by Ron L. Carter.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

It's not often that we read about the struggle that an average family goes through in America, especially in the '90s. Night Crawlers by Ron L. Carter seems to capture a significant part of this struggle, although many are left unsaid.

Night Crawlers is the complete story of a little family. It details their struggle with drugs, crime, trying to find their way in a world they were isolated from, and making the best of the life they had been thrust into.

The book is deeply emotional and a tad disturbing. The events that unfolded in it left me feeling alternately sad, angry and shocked. It was a terrifying glimpse into the effects drug abuse could have on both those directly involved and those around them.

The author put in a lot of work in this one; he seemed to have done his research well. The facts and terms he used in the book were accurate and verifiable — I checked them out myself. I was amazed at how the author described some of the characters' medical conditions appropriately without ambiguity.

What I liked most about this book was the attention to detail in crafting this work of literature. The author was able to develop the storyline of the book intelligently. The storyline, in my opinion, was interesting and authentic — It wasn't clichéic. The book progressed smoothly from one phase of the story to another, and there were no unprecedented gaps or holes in between, making the reading seamless.

Another thing I liked about the book was that it was written in plain language. The author wrote it in a way that made it very easy for the reader to understand. He was able to effectively carry me along from the beginning of the story till the end. However, I thought the book was too straightforward — almost bland. There was no climax, no high point, and no resolution. The story moved so plainly that I was surprised that the book had finished when I got to the end.

To the book's detriment, the characters didn't have enough time to develop. It was almost as if everything happened in one day, but it took dozens of years in reality. It was just one thing after the other, with nearly no space to breathe. This was my biggest issue as it sabotaged the book's interesting plot.

Other things didn't sit well with me in the book. First, I was concerned about how the book kept switching from direct to indirect speech, and from present tense to past tense without prior notice or appropriate punctuation. And there were also a plethora of spelling and grammar errors that I found in the book. The book needs to be re-edited professionally to fix the avalanche of mistakes that I found.

I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. It does deserve 2.5, but a 2-star rating will be too harsh. It's a good book that will appeal more to adult readers, and it offers a great lesson on family and relationships. So, I recommend it to everyone who enjoys family tales.

******
Night Crawlers
View: on Bookshelves

[Vjnelson]

I think I will give this book a read. I grew up in the 90's and I think it would me mind opening to get another point of view.

[Ada Ling]

I will skip this book. Thank you for the honest review!

[SamaylaM]

It's a shame that a book with so much potential hasn't gone through a professional edit. I hope the author takes note of it. Thank you for writing this honest review beautifully. Good work!

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

The effects of drug abuse range far and wide. It is a real pity that the book has numerous flaws. The author should consider having it professionally edited as this story deserves to be told. Thanks for the review.

[NetMassimo]

I don't know if I want to read such a touch story, but it seems interesting, with food for thought about relationships. Thank you for your great review!

[Chigo Nwagboso]

This seems to be a tragic book. Thanks for your honest review!

[Cynthia Olyy]

Sad, angry, shocked—quite some negative emotions! There are times I love reading books like this, but certainly not now. Until then, I'll pass this one.

[Pearl Akpan]

the tone of this book seems sad. I’d still love to give it a read. thank you for an awesome review