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A review by ariatahilramani
Glitch by Lee Rourke
4.0
Glitch by Lee Rourke focuses on the simplistic yet overwhelming thought that there is always a "glitch in the matrix". Slight cracks and scratches in glass will eventually result in fractured shards on the ground, a plane's slightly imbalanced structure will result in the whole metal cage falling back down to Earth. Essentially, everything in life will malfunction, and death and decay are inevitable.
After over two decades of life in America, protagonist L-J finally comes back to his hometown in the UK for hand surgery, having injured while working on a construction site. During the flight, the engine malfunctions, and the plane starts to go down as L-J reflects on this idea of a "glitch" only seconds away from his death. Fortunately, the pilot manages to land the plane in a nearby city and L-J goes home to see her mother and sister. When he gets there, he learns that no one cares about the catastrophe on the plane, because his mother is diagnosed with throat cancer. As his mother gets a tracheostomy, she loses her ability to speak and has to write what she is saying. The novel deals with the theme of family, as L-J and his mother share an extremely special bond and connect over their fascination with glitches and malfunctions. At the same time, L-J tries to reconnect with his sister and deal with their father who had abandoned them when they were young and is now trying to sneak back into their lives for money.
Wow. When I first started this book, I thought I would hate it because it was extremely slow. However, I'm extremely astonished and impressed by how well this novel captured such a small yet complex thought. I love the theme of family and childhood in this book because it is extremely prevalent especially as L-J gets to see his childhood neighborhood and home again. I love the small flashbacks to L-J's childhood because it shows such ordinary moments like a jealous sibling, but it contributes so much to this theme of family. I love how this book deals with the concept of how fragile death is, yet how normal it is. This book made me really think a lot about life, so if you're looking for a book that will give you a small identity crisis, this is the one.
After over two decades of life in America, protagonist L-J finally comes back to his hometown in the UK for hand surgery, having injured while working on a construction site. During the flight, the engine malfunctions, and the plane starts to go down as L-J reflects on this idea of a "glitch" only seconds away from his death. Fortunately, the pilot manages to land the plane in a nearby city and L-J goes home to see her mother and sister. When he gets there, he learns that no one cares about the catastrophe on the plane, because his mother is diagnosed with throat cancer. As his mother gets a tracheostomy, she loses her ability to speak and has to write what she is saying. The novel deals with the theme of family, as L-J and his mother share an extremely special bond and connect over their fascination with glitches and malfunctions. At the same time, L-J tries to reconnect with his sister and deal with their father who had abandoned them when they were young and is now trying to sneak back into their lives for money.
Wow. When I first started this book, I thought I would hate it because it was extremely slow. However, I'm extremely astonished and impressed by how well this novel captured such a small yet complex thought. I love the theme of family and childhood in this book because it is extremely prevalent especially as L-J gets to see his childhood neighborhood and home again. I love the small flashbacks to L-J's childhood because it shows such ordinary moments like a jealous sibling, but it contributes so much to this theme of family. I love how this book deals with the concept of how fragile death is, yet how normal it is. This book made me really think a lot about life, so if you're looking for a book that will give you a small identity crisis, this is the one.