Review by marcherwitch -- Heartaches by H.M. Irwing

[marcherwitch]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Heartaches" by H.M. Irwing.]

---

2 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Heartaches by HM Irwing I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.

Rafe’s gaze met Anna’s through the rear-view mirror. Their silent exchange spoke volumes...

No. No, it did not.

I really want to give this book a higher score than I will, and I will explain that first. I really think that Irwing is going to be an incredible writer. The vocabulary and flow of words are excellent. The command of language is at times the sort to spark a mini-ovation in my head. Unfortunately, Irwing is brought down by that most dreaded and loathed of rules: Show, Don't Tell.


I was on p. 65 before I realised the book was set in Australia.


There is very little in the way of feeling the world around the main characters.


The idea is sound, tackling the extremely controversial subject of rape of both binary genders and the difficulty in proving guilt and achieving justice or vengeance, or even acceptance. Characters suffer from this lack of tactile description too, breezing in and out of the pages with little impact. Yes, the baddie is a baddie, but his presence is not felt. There is a detailed rape scene in the first few chapters, for example, and though positions are described, they are not felt. We are told that Anna Simmons is frightened, and that she has been "doused" (either a typo or an Aussie anachronism I do not know) with a drug.


We do not feel the haze.

We do not feel the dizziness or the confusion.

There is also a degree of inconsistency which suggests that the book was written either as a cathartic form of therapy by someone who has been raped but is not an experienced writer, or by someone who really, really wants to show how awful rape culture is, but did not pause to think through motivations. I honestly cannot tell if we are supposed to be shocked by the normalcy of the rapists, if it is a deliberate decision to make them bland and almost faceless, or if the descriptions are just not strong. For example, Matt's brother Jason, being introduced as an older copy of him, who also looks nothing like him.

There is also the uncomfortable fact that the rape is, while not sensually written, lacks the fear or revulsion conveyed to prevent it feeling somewhat...sexualised. But this is not a pornographic or erotic book, and I honestly do not know if it was meant to be. The "twists" feel tawdry and exploitative, rather than necessary or logical.

As I say, Irving has skill. If they learn to use all five senses in writing and maybe do some psychology research to understand PTSD and so on, they could write credible Survivor stories. They could make us really care about these people and really fear those in positions of power. They could explain why it is that victims feel alone, discarded, overlooked and without support.

This book, however, does not achieve what it could have, and that is a real shame. Perhaps the next book in the series can achieve what this one really could have without any need for a sequel. Perhaps the desire to make it a series is why this book falls so flat.

2/4

******
Heartaches
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like marcherwitch's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Poppy Drear]

Honestly, I read the preview on Amazon and was turned off (pun intended) by the very things you described. Hopefully feedback like yours helps the author go on to do better things in the future.