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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Brilliant Literary Thriller, 24 Jun 2004
By A Customer
A heart-stopping thriller hallmarked by Jensen's powerful and unique style. A friend recommended 'Ark Baby' - a comic tour de force - and I've been a fan of her work ever since. Jensen's versatility makes her a difficult writer to categorise, and I was curious to see how she would approach the thriller genre. This is yet another brilliant book; subtle, ingenious and beautifully written. The narrative fizzes and crackles with the customary energy of Jensen's prose. The story of accident-prone Louis Drax, and Dannachet, the doctor who looks after him, had me in its grip from the first paragraph to the last with many unexpected detours, blind alleys, and twists. It's difficult to reveal much about the book without unravelling a sophisticated and complex plot, so I won't, but this is the most tense and exciting thriller I've read in a long, long, time. What makes this book stand out is the sheer quality of the writing, the powerful, sinister atmosphere, and the fascinating characters. Jensen has a gift for voice and the dual narrative of Drax and Dannachet exploits this to full effect. Her descriptions of the Provencale landscape and the oppressive and turbulent weather reflect the inner turmoil of the characters' lives. It's an unforgettable story with writing of the highest order. And for those who claim 'literary thriller' is a contradiction in terms, here's my advice: READ THIS!
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful Horror Story, 7 Sep 2005
I was gripped by this novel, and found it very difficult to put down. An interesting premise; Louis, a precocious nine year old, is entrusted to the care of Dr. Dannachet when a horrific fall sends him into a coma. However, there's more to his story than meets the eye...
The novel is beautifully written, although flawed by the occasionally clunky phrase. And Dr. Dannachet's infactuation with Louis' young mother seems a little forced, sudden even. Small gripes, however; the story is a cracker, and masterfully told. There is a wonderfully spooky mood throughout, and a palpable sense of dread for the characters. Although the revelations at the end are quite obvious even before Dr. Dannachet begins his furtive investigations, the climax is still deliciously horrifying. As with The Virgin Suicides, my suspicions did not prepare me for the end of the story. Louis' dream state is wonderfully evoked, and sickeningly disturbing, and the book features one of the most memorable villains of 21st Century literature so far!
Highly recommended; it's not often I come across a read such as this.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Doesn't live up to the hype, 21 Jul 2006
I am struggling a bit on how to write a review on this book, as it's not your normal run-of-the-mill novel.
Louis Drax is an accident-prone 8 year old who has some behavioural "issues". The book charts his life a couple of months up to his 9th birthday and gives background on his family, life, imaginary friends and why he is receiving therapy from his psychologist "Fat Perez" - who Louis seems to thrive on winding up!
On Louis' 9th birthday his mum and dad take him on a picnic where a family tragedy unfolds leaving Louis in a coma and his father missing.
The book unfolds to reveal the truth about his family, the truth about his own life and charts his time spent in the coma after the accident.
This is a confusing book to start reading, but once you figure out what's going on in Louis' head (or figure it out as best you can!) things start to slot into place a bit more and it ends up being a bit easier.
The main issue with this book is that there are very few "likeable" characters. Coupled with the fact you're never sure what's "real" and what's in Louis' imagination I found it difficult to get into the book. The character of Louis' mother doesn't seem to actually live up to the actions she's meant to be carrying out and the seemingly siren-like attraction the men in her life experience when she's around. It just wasn't believable enough for me to think she could have this kind of effect on others. Louis is confusing and rambling, and "Fat Perez" seems to be very one-dimensional and not really introduced sufficiently to feel he is a critical part of the story. Louis' doctor, Dr Dannachet, seems to be better written, but again his actions just didn't seem to tie up with the character and again, he seemed to be critically flawed.
Overall this book was "okay". I certainly don't think it lived up to the hype, and I struggled a bit to get into it properly or finish it. I'm glad I've read it, but I don't think I'll be seeking out any more books by Liz Jensen.
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