Review by Alysha Townsend -- Void by Tayma Tameem
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Alysha Townsend
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Review by Alysha Townsend -- Void by Tayma Tameem
[Following is a volunteer review of "Void" by Tayma Tameem.]
Vanished by Tayma Tameem, is a realistic fiction book about how endless love, hope and dedication helps to hold the Gallager family together even when the unimaginable happens. The Gallager's are facing many obstacles. Sally Gallager, a constantly tired and anxious mother of two, is really struggling to cope with what mother-hood entails, and consequently suffered from post-partum depression. Ryan Gallager, a loving and attentive husband, seems to be the glue holding his family together. Not wanting to cause his wife even more stress than what she is already under, he decides not to confront her about the misfortune of him losing his job, leaving them financially unstable. These problems are the last thing on their minds when Sally goes to check on her baby boy, but is left aghast when she finds the crib empty. Alan Banks, a highly respected and hardworking detective immediately gets to work by questioning the distraught couple on the events that took place. He is adamant on finding out what happened to the little boy before it is too late. Do the Gallager's get their baby back? Will this unfortunate family catch a break? Who do you suspect?
Tayma has been extremely successful with how she has portrayed the main characters. She makes the young couple seem very ordinary, with problems that most parents face, allowing the audience to really emotionally connect and sympathise with them, as maybe some have faced the same hard-ships. I'm sure all mothers can relate with how Sally is constantly striving for a clean and safe environment for her children, all the while battling with her anxiety and feeling as though she is suffocating in stress. More over, I'm positive the readers who are husbands and fathers can easily engage with Ryan's character who is also fighting difficulties, however chooses to deal with the problems on his own and to keep his emotions hidden in order to be the strength his family needs. This is cleverly done by Tayma Tameem as she has managed to create a strong connection between the readers and the characters, meaning the audience feels everything the character feels, letting them understand their turmoil. Tameem plays with the heart-strings of her readers, keeping them hooked on the storyline as they become desperate to find out if the couple will get their baby back.
Despite thoroughly enjoying reading Vanished , I was disappointed with the lack of information on the case itself and what Alan Banks actually did to try and find the baby. Other than questioning the parents, we arent told anything else of the process he went through, if he questioned anyone else, what different paths he went down, or if he started up a search himself. I think this is critical to show the audience Alan Banks really did do the best he could, whether in reality, we are given minimal information, making it difficult for us to understand the amount of time, commitment and hard work Alan put into the case. Leaving us feeling frustrated and like he could have done more.
Due to this lack of detail on the case, I unfortunately can't give the book a full rating, therefore I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars . Vanished is very deserving of this score because I was genuinely hooked throughout, so much so that I barely put it down and ended up finishing it in just one day! This book was also exceptionally well edited in which I didnt find a single spelling or grammar mistake.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense, mystery and playing detective as throughout the book I was trying to figure out who did it, coming up with my own conclusions along the way. If you are looking for a story that contains real life problems families face everyday, as well as love, faith, tragedy, heartbreak and misfortune mixed into one, then stop your search, this ones for you.
******
Void
View: on Bookshelves
Vanished by Tayma Tameem, is a realistic fiction book about how endless love, hope and dedication helps to hold the Gallager family together even when the unimaginable happens. The Gallager's are facing many obstacles. Sally Gallager, a constantly tired and anxious mother of two, is really struggling to cope with what mother-hood entails, and consequently suffered from post-partum depression. Ryan Gallager, a loving and attentive husband, seems to be the glue holding his family together. Not wanting to cause his wife even more stress than what she is already under, he decides not to confront her about the misfortune of him losing his job, leaving them financially unstable. These problems are the last thing on their minds when Sally goes to check on her baby boy, but is left aghast when she finds the crib empty. Alan Banks, a highly respected and hardworking detective immediately gets to work by questioning the distraught couple on the events that took place. He is adamant on finding out what happened to the little boy before it is too late. Do the Gallager's get their baby back? Will this unfortunate family catch a break? Who do you suspect?
Tayma has been extremely successful with how she has portrayed the main characters. She makes the young couple seem very ordinary, with problems that most parents face, allowing the audience to really emotionally connect and sympathise with them, as maybe some have faced the same hard-ships. I'm sure all mothers can relate with how Sally is constantly striving for a clean and safe environment for her children, all the while battling with her anxiety and feeling as though she is suffocating in stress. More over, I'm positive the readers who are husbands and fathers can easily engage with Ryan's character who is also fighting difficulties, however chooses to deal with the problems on his own and to keep his emotions hidden in order to be the strength his family needs. This is cleverly done by Tayma Tameem as she has managed to create a strong connection between the readers and the characters, meaning the audience feels everything the character feels, letting them understand their turmoil. Tameem plays with the heart-strings of her readers, keeping them hooked on the storyline as they become desperate to find out if the couple will get their baby back.
Despite thoroughly enjoying reading Vanished , I was disappointed with the lack of information on the case itself and what Alan Banks actually did to try and find the baby. Other than questioning the parents, we arent told anything else of the process he went through, if he questioned anyone else, what different paths he went down, or if he started up a search himself. I think this is critical to show the audience Alan Banks really did do the best he could, whether in reality, we are given minimal information, making it difficult for us to understand the amount of time, commitment and hard work Alan put into the case. Leaving us feeling frustrated and like he could have done more.
Due to this lack of detail on the case, I unfortunately can't give the book a full rating, therefore I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars . Vanished is very deserving of this score because I was genuinely hooked throughout, so much so that I barely put it down and ended up finishing it in just one day! This book was also exceptionally well edited in which I didnt find a single spelling or grammar mistake.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense, mystery and playing detective as throughout the book I was trying to figure out who did it, coming up with my own conclusions along the way. If you are looking for a story that contains real life problems families face everyday, as well as love, faith, tragedy, heartbreak and misfortune mixed into one, then stop your search, this ones for you.
******
Void
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
