louixa23's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Spoiler
the ending felt extremely insensitive to the victims of the real Jonestown cultlazygal's review against another edition
4.0
These days, "drinking the Kool-Aid" is one of those toss-off lines - sadly, I remember watching the news when it became a horrific reality. In Children of Paradise, the author does a good job of imagining what it was like to be part of a communal group living in an unnamed South American jungle. Readers are slightly removed from the action despite the use of first person points-of-view because he never uses the word "I" but always refers to the p.o.v. by their name ("The preacher says..."). And one of those we follow? Adam, the compound's gorilla. Now that's bold!
It's clear that this supposed paradise is riddled with cracks and problems (not to mention small acts of disobedience). What's not so clear is why the people adore their preacher, why they stay when it could be easy to go - much less why they put up with some of his ideas. In part this is because we never really follow a true believer, and in part it's because we join the story closer to the end than to the beginning or middle. And that ending? While it's a little muddled, it did bring back the memory of those days 35 years ago, watching the news, hearing about the cyanide-laced Kool-Aid that nearly 1,000 people drank and died.
ARC provided by the publisher.
It's clear that this supposed paradise is riddled with cracks and problems (not to mention small acts of disobedience). What's not so clear is why the people adore their preacher, why they stay when it could be easy to go - much less why they put up with some of his ideas. In part this is because we never really follow a true believer, and in part it's because we join the story closer to the end than to the beginning or middle. And that ending? While it's a little muddled, it did bring back the memory of those days 35 years ago, watching the news, hearing about the cyanide-laced Kool-Aid that nearly 1,000 people drank and died.
ARC provided by the publisher.
clfirlik's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
alamerysl's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
conspicuouscarrot's review against another edition
4.0
An phenomenal re-imagining of the Jonestown tragedy.
scottshepard's review against another edition
4.0
Some stories are told best through a specific medium. For real life events what is the best medium? Is it a non-fiction timeline of events style book? Or a non-fiction “novel” like In Cold Blood? Movie? Podcast? What about a historical fiction novel?
Children of Paradise is none of these, not really. It’s historical fiction in the strictest sense; a novelized account of the events at Jonestown. But it’s somehow more than that. It’s not quite an exact retelling. It’s a fantastical account told in large part from the perspective of a gorilla named Adam kept in captivity on sight. (The real Jonestown had a chimpanzee not a gorilla.) The author captures so many essential elements to the story by fictionalizing it, so many aspects more important that what actually happened. He captures the sense of awe the residents had for the preacher, the methods of control used, the daily struggle to survive, the blatant corruption and the deep deep tragic sadness and loss that this evil man inflicted on so many.
In this fantasy retelling the massacre doesn’t go quite as planned and we get a somewhat happy ending. But the author doesn’t let you revel in that relief and shows us that he knows what he is doing. I found I gained a lot of understanding for Jonestown and cults reading this. The desire to believe in something other than yourself can be so strong in humans that they are willing to give up everything just to capture that feeling.
Children of Paradise is none of these, not really. It’s historical fiction in the strictest sense; a novelized account of the events at Jonestown. But it’s somehow more than that. It’s not quite an exact retelling. It’s a fantastical account told in large part from the perspective of a gorilla named Adam kept in captivity on sight. (The real Jonestown had a chimpanzee not a gorilla.) The author captures so many essential elements to the story by fictionalizing it, so many aspects more important that what actually happened. He captures the sense of awe the residents had for the preacher, the methods of control used, the daily struggle to survive, the blatant corruption and the deep deep tragic sadness and loss that this evil man inflicted on so many.
In this fantasy retelling the massacre doesn’t go quite as planned and we get a somewhat happy ending. But the author doesn’t let you revel in that relief and shows us that he knows what he is doing. I found I gained a lot of understanding for Jonestown and cults reading this. The desire to believe in something other than yourself can be so strong in humans that they are willing to give up everything just to capture that feeling.
mochagirl's review against another edition
3.0
“He reminds them their children belong to God and their lives will be better in God’s hands and not his and not this commune, and no place on this god-forsaken earth is good enough for his flock, only the kingdom of heaven, only everlasting life.”
Inspired by the actual events of Jonestown, Guyana, Children of Paradise is an imagined story told from primarily three points of view: a child (Trina), her mother (Joyce), and Adam (the caged “pet” gorilla) during the last months before the tragedy. Trina and Joyce’s backstories are sketchy but it’s through their roles and experiences we glimpse life in the commune where they live under-nourished, over-worked, in fear, and under heavy armed guard. Although one can google to become familiar with the outcome, the author’s attempt to give a voice to the children is notable. It is easy to sympathize and empathize with the elderly, the defenseless children, and the adults who “awoke” too late to feel powerless, trapped with no means of escape.
Throughout the story, I kept wondering why these seemingly intelligent people would allow a paranoid, drugged-out, Bible-quoting lunatic exercise complete control over their lives, their income, their children, and their well-being. Of course, the “why” is not really addressed in the book (and I’ll wager after all this time, many still the answer to “why”); but the “how” was sufficiently addressed by the author. He weaved in the overt and subtle methods used to physically and emotionally isolate (they were really imprisoned), separate and douse them with proven mind-control tactics, unpredictable reward/punishment cycles, tons of Communist/Political propaganda, and various other (Biblically inspired) psychological manipulation games to keep them in fear and obedient. Not to mention the physical ailments (fever, diarrhea, bites/infections, poor medical care) they constantly faced living in poorly constructed housing in the middle of a jungle with no climate control.
Although the commune’s leader was not the focus of the novel, Trina, Joyce, and Adam’s interactions with him paint him to be a charlatan - a liar, a hypocrite, a thief, a master manipulator. The same behavioral techniques he employs to tame Adam, a wild beast, he applies to his human flock; the parallels are effective and uncanny: parents are separated from their children (Adam’s mother is killed, he’s orphaned, caged and fed; communal children are housed, educated, fed separately from their parents, in fact they only see their parents for a couple of hours in the evenings), music is used to elicit certain responses, etc.
The author’s rendering gives the reader a solid sense of place and community, but somehow the storytelling still feels a bit flat Nonetheless, I would recommend to others who are interested in the event and life within the commune.
Inspired by the actual events of Jonestown, Guyana, Children of Paradise is an imagined story told from primarily three points of view: a child (Trina), her mother (Joyce), and Adam (the caged “pet” gorilla) during the last months before the tragedy. Trina and Joyce’s backstories are sketchy but it’s through their roles and experiences we glimpse life in the commune where they live under-nourished, over-worked, in fear, and under heavy armed guard. Although one can google to become familiar with the outcome, the author’s attempt to give a voice to the children is notable. It is easy to sympathize and empathize with the elderly, the defenseless children, and the adults who “awoke” too late to feel powerless, trapped with no means of escape.
Throughout the story, I kept wondering why these seemingly intelligent people would allow a paranoid, drugged-out, Bible-quoting lunatic exercise complete control over their lives, their income, their children, and their well-being. Of course, the “why” is not really addressed in the book (and I’ll wager after all this time, many still the answer to “why”); but the “how” was sufficiently addressed by the author. He weaved in the overt and subtle methods used to physically and emotionally isolate (they were really imprisoned), separate and douse them with proven mind-control tactics, unpredictable reward/punishment cycles, tons of Communist/Political propaganda, and various other (Biblically inspired) psychological manipulation games to keep them in fear and obedient. Not to mention the physical ailments (fever, diarrhea, bites/infections, poor medical care) they constantly faced living in poorly constructed housing in the middle of a jungle with no climate control.
Although the commune’s leader was not the focus of the novel, Trina, Joyce, and Adam’s interactions with him paint him to be a charlatan - a liar, a hypocrite, a thief, a master manipulator. The same behavioral techniques he employs to tame Adam, a wild beast, he applies to his human flock; the parallels are effective and uncanny: parents are separated from their children (Adam’s mother is killed, he’s orphaned, caged and fed; communal children are housed, educated, fed separately from their parents, in fact they only see their parents for a couple of hours in the evenings), music is used to elicit certain responses, etc.
The author’s rendering gives the reader a solid sense of place and community, but somehow the storytelling still feels a bit flat Nonetheless, I would recommend to others who are interested in the event and life within the commune.
greenblack's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0