2 out of 4 stars
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The book, Barren To Change, is written by Maurie Chan’nel. The book has about 92 pages and has each character introduced in separate chapters bearing the characters’ names, and not the usual chapter numbers. The book is written in second person perspective with the characters being indirectly related to one another, as they seem to work or socialize in the same location.
The book starts with the discovery of a dead body in a warehouse that is frequented by crackheads. Harold Means, the detective handling this case, names it Jane Doe, as there are no identification documents on it. What puzzled the detective was that she did not have traces of crack in her blood but had just had a healthy meal. Some characters in this book that are crackheads turn out to have been acquainted with her. When Harold gets close to identifying who Jane Doe could be related to, the book draws the reader to the countdown of New Year, 2018, and when it finally comes, something extraordinary happens to Jane Doe. Her supposed relative who witnesses it collapses in shock.
I liked that this book gives an insight into the lives of crackheads and the risky dealings they get involved in, exposing them to danger. It shows how they make money to survive. This book is quite short and can be read in one sitting. I got drawn to the plot towards the end of the book and started reading it in a hurry to know what would happen next.
I admit that this book was a disappointment to me as I was unable to relate the title, Barren To Change, to the storyline. Just when I was starting to enjoy reading the book, it came to a stop with a cliffhanger. The book has too many punctuation errors, with some quoted speeches having no punctuation marks at all. Most speeches have opening punctuation marks but no closing ones. Others are misplaced, for example, on page 39, “I mean, I’m only here a few times a week, he said panting and out of breath.” The characters in this book are so many that I had to write down their names and what they did, to understand how they were related and acquainted. Very many songs are also quoted, making it boring to read the lyrics. The book uses both present and past tense in the same sentence, for example, ‘D’asia’s thoughts were broken as her phone vibrates with a text.’ Another example is, ‘Jackie held her belly and tells him…’
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I would not rate it lower because the story can be followed and understood. The rating cannot go higher because the book is not professionally edited and has many grammatical errors. Another reason is that the title of the book cannot be related to the storyline.
This book requires professional editing, and when this is done, I would recommend it to those who want a quick read and do not mind a cliffhanger.
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Barren To Change
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