A review by mjessie
August by Callan Wink
3.0
It was slow and solid, but I enjoyed the slowness and the day-to-day storytelling of rural ranch life. I didn't dislike this, although I'd hesitate to recommend it without caveats since its quietness is something a lot of people don't enjoy.
I found some of the dialogue doing heavy handed work in characterization and August is the kind of quiet, introspective character than can be frustrating at times, since his motivations seem just as unclear to him as they do to the reader. If asked, I'd say his primary trait is that he eats a lot of cereal over the sink.
Still, I keep thinking about the book and how what is left unsaid and unclear might just be what makes it memorable. I think the blurbing might do this book an injustice. This isn't a loud story. We don't see big repercussions or shocking exposes of the secrets and violence, but that's what the book is about, right? It's about how most things in life are communicated via whispers and shame.
I found some of the dialogue doing heavy handed work in characterization and August is the kind of quiet, introspective character than can be frustrating at times, since his motivations seem just as unclear to him as they do to the reader. If asked, I'd say his primary trait is that he eats a lot of cereal over the sink.
Still, I keep thinking about the book and how what is left unsaid and unclear might just be what makes it memorable. I think the blurbing might do this book an injustice. This isn't a loud story. We don't see big repercussions or shocking exposes of the secrets and violence, but that's what the book is about, right? It's about how most things in life are communicated via whispers and shame.