2 out of 4 stars
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Luis is a simple kid. His world revolves around his mother and his books. The only problem in his life is a bulky, no-brainer boy- Butch. Luis is one of the kids who are bullied by Butch, on a regular basis. One day, trying to escape the torture that Butch intends to inflict on him, Luis finds himself taking shelter in a playground. There, he meets Alice, a girl who had been missing for ten years. What turns his world upside down is the fact that Alice is a ghost. Another thing that he finds out is that she is not the only one haunting the playground. While there are kids like Alice, who want to help people and seek ways to move on from this world, there are others who are not so good. Some of them are adamant to seek revenge against the people who killed them. With the help of Alice’s sister, Serena, Luis tries to uncover the identity of the people behind the mystery of the missing kids.
Written from the point of views of Luis and Serena, An Empty Swing by N.J Hanson is a paranormal thriller. This book tackles with various themes that are relevant in case of children. Child abuse and bullying form the better part of it. It also shows how different people react to the losses in their lives. With Serena, we see how her father falls into depression and alcoholism after losing Alice, how this affects Serena and what ultimately shapes her personality. With Luis, the author has painted a different picture. The need for closure is another theme that forms a major part of it.
The characters of this book are the best thing about it. They are all very different from one another and, also, quite realistic. I liked the understanding of Hanson towards the complex issue of a bully’s mentality. Butch’s character development was surprising, but also realistic at the same time. The behavior of the ghosts was another thing that I liked. It was all very rational, and nothing was made out to be over the top, or unrealistic. The chemistry between the characters worked well, and their reactions towards various situations seemed practical.
The grammatical errors were one of the things that put me off. They were scattered throughout the book and hindered the flow of reading. The writing style is another thing that needs work. Though it was simple and made the book a quick read, it was too simple for an avid reader’s taste. I wouldn’t say that it was bad. It was moderate and, at times, mundane. In thriller novels, moderate doesn’t work out. Due to this, the story lost its grip. It was easy for me to put down this book in the middle of a chapter. A gripping story doesn’t allow this. Predictability was another factor that became a let-down. Some of the important revelations of the story were easily foreseeable. Perhaps, a different approach of storytelling could solve all these problems.
Owing to its simple writing style, teenagers and novice readers would make a better audience for An Empty Swing. There are some things in the book that can be a bit too much, so watch out for that. If you are looking for some light reading, this can be a viable option. My rating for this book is 2 out of 4 stars. Its intentions were in the right place, but the execution turned out to be sloppy. Maybe, it didn’t turn out better for me because I had expected it to be scarier. The people who can set aside their expectations might appreciate it better than I did.
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An Empty Swing
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