Masterfully told, excellently crafted, will leave you
begging for book three.
A worthy follow-on to Book One. The cast of characters
widens, and we meet new characters, such as Daniel, undergoing transformation.
Characters already in the mix, such as Renee and Adam, are highlighted for
continued transformation. Perhaps Renee is not transformed, but our view of her
certainly is, which may be just as important. We learn about many characters'
relationships with Peter; their views of him, and interactions with him, that help
inform our understanding of the narrator.
Peter's mother undergoes change, and we gain more
understanding of her than we had from the first book. Adam's transformation
from doubtful to confirmed scuzzball abuser is complete.
In addition to coming-of-age tales, I am addicted to
ensemble stories, in which there may be a central character or narrator, but
the ensemble itself acts as character, illuminating the story line, and dimming
the spotlight on the main character from time to time. Ensemble stories require
not just enormous talent, but also finely-honed skills in the crafts of writing and story-telling. Few authors try to
write ensemble stories, because they are exceedingly difficult to write, and
management of plot arcs and sub-plots fails without an expert's touch. Another
stumbling block to writing ensemble stories is ensuring that every character
has a place, a purpose and an identity. I cannot identify a single character,
regardless of how small a role, who does not meet these requirements.
Please read book one, Photos of You, first. You might as well order
this second book, You Are Not Me, at the same time. If you admire writing at
its finest, and love well-told stories, I promise you'll want to read the
second book as soon as you've finished the first. Ms. Blake is prolific and
busy, and I'm at wits' end trying to come up with an incentive for her to write
Book Three. I might have to reconsider the "Kidnap and Dungeon"
route.
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