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A review by mike_baker
The Hope Family Calendar by Mike Gayle
3.0
There was enough going on to keep me turning the pages, but in the end I have to consider The Hope Family Calendar a bit of a disappointment. First, from a technical perspective I didn't care for the fat paragraphs of prose, of exposition, this where dialogue or actions might have done the job. Gayle writes in a light, flowing style, so it was all easy enough to take in, yet his habit of interrupting slices of dialogue with explanations of what was said - rather than the speaking itself - grated after a while. It doesn't help one bit that the book's two narrators have identical voices, both deeply introspective and as proactive as driftwood, which did nothing to identify them as two distinct characters with separate backgrounds.
Second, I found that the sections told from Linda's point of view were a little dull. It was a neat device to add her perspective to the drama, but there wasn't enough going on the make me care about her. As for Tom, while more interesting I wanted to slap him. Grow a backbone! Do something! Anything! Go nuts. Embrace the darkness. Shag that girl. But no, more moping.
All the same, I gave this one three stars and an honest assessment would be something like 2.6 to 3.2. I kept reading. Even though the book had all the heft of a Richard Curtis movie i.e. not much, the feelings explored had a touch of realism and rawness about them. I just wish they had led to a more interesting outcome.
Second, I found that the sections told from Linda's point of view were a little dull. It was a neat device to add her perspective to the drama, but there wasn't enough going on the make me care about her. As for Tom, while more interesting I wanted to slap him. Grow a backbone! Do something! Anything! Go nuts. Embrace the darkness. Shag that girl. But no, more moping.
All the same, I gave this one three stars and an honest assessment would be something like 2.6 to 3.2. I kept reading. Even though the book had all the heft of a Richard Curtis movie i.e. not much, the feelings explored had a touch of realism and rawness about them. I just wish they had led to a more interesting outcome.