Essie is no ordinary seventeen-year-old. She's spent her entire life on a reality show, Six for Hicks, with her fanatically religious family.
The drama is off to the races from the get-go!
Essie, we find out straight away, is pregnant. Normally reserved for plot twists around the 200-page mark rather than Sentence Number One, this is just the beginning of a spiraling series of dramatic events. One by one, we are introduced to a vast number of secret-bearing relatives. There are many skeletons and many closets. Gradually dark secrets are revealed, true selves exposed. Everyone has something they want to hide. But Essie has something she needs to share.
All of these twists and turns make this book hard to put down. You think you'll just read one more chapter...which turns into just one more chapter...and then...well, you know how it goes. Its pacing is reminiscent of well-written YA novels.
The only thing that I found weirdly lacking was how much the reality show was responsible for the insane celebrity of the entire Hicks family, yet there never seemed to be mobs of people around any time the family members went out in public. Where were all the fans? Apart from that quirk, it was compelling, fast-paced, and you really want to find out what's going to unfold next. Because something important is always unfolding.
The Book of Essie is an impressive first work of fiction from this author. I'll be interested to see what she writes next.
Judge the cover: 4/5
The drama is off to the races from the get-go!
Essie, we find out straight away, is pregnant. Normally reserved for plot twists around the 200-page mark rather than Sentence Number One, this is just the beginning of a spiraling series of dramatic events. One by one, we are introduced to a vast number of secret-bearing relatives. There are many skeletons and many closets. Gradually dark secrets are revealed, true selves exposed. Everyone has something they want to hide. But Essie has something she needs to share.
All of these twists and turns make this book hard to put down. You think you'll just read one more chapter...which turns into just one more chapter...and then...well, you know how it goes. Its pacing is reminiscent of well-written YA novels.
The only thing that I found weirdly lacking was how much the reality show was responsible for the insane celebrity of the entire Hicks family, yet there never seemed to be mobs of people around any time the family members went out in public. Where were all the fans? Apart from that quirk, it was compelling, fast-paced, and you really want to find out what's going to unfold next. Because something important is always unfolding.
The Book of Essie is an impressive first work of fiction from this author. I'll be interested to see what she writes next.
Judge the cover: 4/5
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