There are Writers and there are Writers. There are those who write with expectations and hope for tremendous progression and recognition, thus their approach to the art is characterised by a peculiar zeal, of which pleasant outcome is determined largely by a keen eye for details, a refined talent and often stroke(s) of luck. And there are those who write without much care for much recognition; awards, movie deals and outcomes of that sort.
Geraldine Iheme’s “Disfigured Emotions” is a good effort that describes real events like child abuse, neglect as the basis for emotional and psychological deficiency that translate to terrible behaviours and outcomes as displayed by Phillip-Junior and Stella in this short novel. The book addresses basic societal issues and how they are precipitated by a lack or outright absence of proper family values.
I must acknowledge her courage as she attempted a style that is quite difficult to pull off. She didn’t quite apply it efficiently, but the desire to see how she amalgamates the aspects of the story will surely keep the reader flipping pages, although proper satisfaction is not mine to guarantee.
The story is written with simple words all through and that makes for easy reading, but many times I found the story to be moving too quickly and lacking enough details in some places; it appeared as though she was in a hurry to get to the end. Her inadequacy in research and perhaps inexperience is betrayed especially when she wrote about Chief Emenaju and his crew’s ritual killing activities. She didn’t quite bring such parts of the story to life before the reader.
The issues addressed in the book and the message it conveys are a big plus and present the work as a good read. It is fast paced, short and unambiguous. Geraldine is currently working on her second book and it will be nice to see her provide more details, make her scenes as plausible as possible and indulge in more research.
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Comments
Scopeman @scopeman60
Unlike everyone else I have not been writing from my mother's womb. I realised my ability to write pretty well along the course of life. I am working hard to improve and establish myself as a writer. My first book "Dappled Things" will soon be out in a book store near you.Go to Scopeman's profile, and read more of his/her posts.
Scopeman, you write good but after reading this review, I can’t really say I have a sufficient idea of what the book is about and how much I might probably enjoy it. In order words, I think the review is too short. I think you should have infused something akin to a blurb in it so we can get a feel of the philosophy behind the book as seen through a summary of the narrative, without necessary including spoilers.
Well done.
You see, i enjoy reviews because after that, i wont have to read the book.
But, scopeman, this your review is too scanty, your only achievement was to show us that you write well.
@chemokopi & @kaycee I have taken note of your concerns as regards my review of the book, however, I’d like to state that I believe one cannot adequately say that a bad or inadequate review has been done of a book unless that one has actually read the book in question; only then can proper judgement be established.
The book in question is a short novel of less than 200 pages, my guess would be that it has about 30,000 words or less in it, I would go with less; and that is barely enough to be called a novella. So if you find this review scanty, then perhaps it is a reflection of the actual work itself.
My goal for reviewing this book or any other book is to inspire other readers to make their own decisions, preferably after reading the book. For this particular review, I tried to point out the good aspects of the book without betraying the effort I applied, and also acknowledge the ‘not-so-good’ aspects without bruising the confidence of the Author in the work.
I hereby make reference to the first paragraph of this review, and ask that you consider it to be some sort of notice indicating that in my opinion, the book falls under a certain category that I prefer not to announce openly.
Again, I encourage everyone to go out and get the book, read it, and then if afterwards you maintain the same sentiment about my review, then we might have basis for a proper discourse, but not before.
However, this is not to say that I consider myself absolutely spared of errors in my work. I acknowledge that I can do better, and I assure you that I am working hard in that regard.
Thank you.
You are welcome. I still think reviews are written to help the reader make an informed decision on whether or not to enjoy a work of art. Please read this and understand my perspective.
http://www.naijastories.com/2012/04/naija-stories-of-tears-and-kisses-heroes-and-villains-review-by-samuel-okopi/
I agree @chemokopi. Give us more info @scopeman60.
Well, i wish the book in question would get into my hands. I believe that everyone who has the discipline to start and finish a book deserves some commendation. well done, though the review is quite scanty.
@scopeman thank you for the review, it is a little too brief like everyone has said and it doesnt hint at the good or not so good qualities of ‘Disfigured’. It doesn’t even whet my appetite or pique my curiousity… Was that your intention?
@nicolebassey Not quite, my intention was to relay how the book came across to me, and in the process lead other readers to get the book and make their own judgements, I fear that I might have over-indulged.