A review by octavia_cade
Elske by Cynthia Voigt, Jan Vermeer

3.0

I don't really want to call this a likeable book, because rape is so much at the centre of it - for both the two main female characters - that it is at times a sickening read, but it's certainly a compelling one - though it's the most compelling when not dealing with the continual sexual assault. Instead it's the quiet character moments that stand out the most. This is especially true of Elske: her personality and especially her emotional growth were both aspects of this book that I found genuinely enjoyable. Voigt has created a memorable character here, even more so than Jackaroo's Gwyn.

Elske the book, on the other hand, doesn't reach the heights of Jackaroo, but then no other book in this series does either. (And why on earth the book's been covered with a Vermeer painting is beyond me.)