A review by katieejayne
Strungballs by Mike Russell
4.0
**I received this book from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review**
The only way I can describe this novel is gloriously weird. Think Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman weird.
This book follows Sydney, a young boy living in a dystopian/futuristic community where they donate flesh. Yep. Donate flesh. Every so often these robots appear and harvest a chunk of flesh from a persons body. Cauterising it as they do so. Said people are then presented with a red ball with a string attached known as Strungballs, that they pop into the fleshless hole they've just acquired. Similar to Divergent in the sense that this community is also very regimented, to speak out against something or someone is to make oneself an 'other'.
After Sydney acquires his first Strungball he starts to question what and why. Why do they donate flesh? What is the purpose of it?
Considering the novel is only sixty-four pages long it certainly packed a lot into the novel. The description was minimal but it felt like an intentional move on Mike's part. It made the novel seem very clinical and sterile, that they only focus was the Strungballs and their purpose. In fact the most notable part of the description was the part that numbers played. The dimensions of the room, the time spent doing a certain task was described down to the seconds. I actually loved this aspect.
If you get a chance, give this a read. I promise you, it's unlike anything you've ever read before.
www.a-novel-idea.co.uk
The only way I can describe this novel is gloriously weird. Think Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman weird.
This book follows Sydney, a young boy living in a dystopian/futuristic community where they donate flesh. Yep. Donate flesh. Every so often these robots appear and harvest a chunk of flesh from a persons body. Cauterising it as they do so. Said people are then presented with a red ball with a string attached known as Strungballs, that they pop into the fleshless hole they've just acquired. Similar to Divergent in the sense that this community is also very regimented, to speak out against something or someone is to make oneself an 'other'.
After Sydney acquires his first Strungball he starts to question what and why. Why do they donate flesh? What is the purpose of it?
Considering the novel is only sixty-four pages long it certainly packed a lot into the novel. The description was minimal but it felt like an intentional move on Mike's part. It made the novel seem very clinical and sterile, that they only focus was the Strungballs and their purpose. In fact the most notable part of the description was the part that numbers played. The dimensions of the room, the time spent doing a certain task was described down to the seconds. I actually loved this aspect.
If you get a chance, give this a read. I promise you, it's unlike anything you've ever read before.
www.a-novel-idea.co.uk